Virtual Walls
by FemTakei
Summary: Jane and Maura have just met and become best friends, but someone is targeting Maura and has just put Jane in their sights as well. Causing an upheaval in both their lives. My first story depicting the background of Jane and Maura and how they became Rizzles. I took some liberty with the timeline of the show. POV from both; Chap 35 up!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Rizzoli & Isles, nor its respective characters. Also, I do not make a profit from writing this. This is my first attempt at fanfiction and would appreciate any and all feedback! I also took some liberties with the timeframe the show presents.

_RPOV:_

Alarm clock rings out cutting through the otherwise silent room. A mostly bare room in soft brown tones comes into view as a hand softy turns the alarm off. Rizzoli is just returning from a run clad in a tight black v-neck shirt and black Capri running pants. She drops her hair from her pony tail as she walks into her bathroom and starts the shower. She pauses briefly as she catches herself in the mirror. She did not sleep well during the night, haunted by nightmares of a man long lost in the shadows. "Get out of your head Rizzoli" she thinks to herself. Unconsciously she rubs her hands together feeling the cartilage of her scars.

A gift she cannot give back. She shakes her head forcefully as if willing herself to clear her mind from the thoughts that invade it. She quickly undresses and jumps into the shower practically falling back out. "Fuck!" she yells as she quickly re-adjusts the temperature of the shower to something that wouldn't melt the skin off her body. She gets back in the shower.

_The scene fades to black as the mirror fogs up._

Korsak is waiting in the lobby holding two small cups of coffee watching two birds through the glass window on the door not paying attention to the raven-haired woman that bursts through the door disturbing the tranquil scene. Korsak hands Jane the coffee who's face lights up at the sight of both her partner and the coffee.

Korsak: "Geez Rizzoli, you look like hell" he states as he follows in step with her.

Rizzoli snaps without pausing "Thanks for the observation."

Sensing Korsak stop behind her she curses herself for taking anything out on her partner. Without turning she looks down and continues.

"I'm sorry, I didn't sleep last night. I finally gave up and just went running, I didn't mean to..."

Korsak nods understanding and cuts her off

"it's alright, no harm no foul." he picks up their usual pace and continues. "we got a new case, young woman found in the parking lot of the Greenview Motel early this morning. She's already been brought in and is being processed by the new M.E."

Rizzoli pushes through the door of the homicide department and stops in front of their cluster of desks.

"Why weren't we called on this? Who's started the case?" she asks finding her usual spot on her desk to sit down.

"SVU picked up the case first, they processed the scene." he dumps a file on her desk and sits in his own chair. "Are you ganna go see the new M.E.?" a smile playing on his lips.

Rizzoli feels his eyes on her as she flips through the file. She feels herself blush unwillingly knowing that he was waiting for her reaction. She had heard that the new head medical examiner had arrived and she was rumored to be incredibly beautiful and incredibly smart. Rizzoli's rocky relationship with the previous M.E. was no secret to anyone in the department. Often they could be heard screaming at each other about the timeliness and thoroughness of his reports. To often they had lost the ability to prosecute a case because of lousy work by the head medical examiner.

"I just hope this new bastard is not as sloppy as the old one." she growled as she stalked toward the elevator.

She took a moment to measure herself against the steel reflection and thought to herself that she didn't look that bad. She took a deep breathe, composed herself and stepped off the elevator.


	2. Chapter 2

MPOV:

Hunched over the naked corpse of her first case, she had been at the department for less than a day and already felt overwhelmed at the large scale of work that needed to be done to bring it up to her standards.

She knew when she agreed to replace the previous M.E. that she would face anger from scorned officers at the bad job he had done. But what she was not prepared for was the chaos of an office she walked into. She was appalled at how the man had allowed so much lapse to happen at the highest level of the examiners office. Losing herself in the details of her work helped her feel better, less overwhelmed at the chaos of the job she faced.

She knew that her biggest struggle would not be with the medical work, for she had always had a predisposition and passion for the sciences, and a neuroses that forced her to be prodigious in her detailed work. Early in life, her teachers marveled at her ability to remember details and understand information that was often lost on them. No, she knew she would handle the details of her job just well, she just couldn't the handle disorder and chaos that was the medical examiners office. Her compulsions were hard enough to keep in check, and now she had to worry about contaminants to her work.

She had become renown for her detailed work and vast knowledge base. When other examiners would rip open a body going straight for the obvious wound, Maura like to start at the top and thoroughly examine the body for those small clues that helped break a case or seal it. That's where she found herself now, deep in the oral cavity of her first major case.

"Alright, let's see if we can't garner your identity." she states to no one in particular as she carefully tilts the woman's palate.

"Her name is Julia" a low husky voice from across the lab startles Maura who jumps at the sudden intrusion. "And usually fingerprints are found on fingers, not in mouths."

"Actually, every person has a unique set of teeth and tongue providing a very positive identifier that can sometimes be more relia..."She looks up, surprised to see a tall dark woman blushing slightly while playing with her long obsidian hair. She was shocked by how striking the woman looked and gasped slightly at the austere features that stare back at her. For the brief second that passed she found her eyes traveling south from the woman's face taking in the rest of her long lean body. Catching herself, she smiled and blushed at the second of thought that flowed into her mind.

"So...sorry" the raven haired creature stuttered as if reading her thoughts, she too blushed and quickly looked down as she continues. "I didn't mean to startle you. I'm detective Jane Rizzoli. I lead the homicide..."

"Yes! Hello, I know who you are detective" Maura cut her off a little to excitedly.

"Rizzoli is fine." she interrupted back flashing a bright smile that once again caught the usually reserved doctor by surprise.

"Rizzoli? Ok Rizzoli, I'm Maura. I just took over as the new head Medical examiner." without thinking Maura extended her hand to offer a handshake, quickly realizing her mistake she laughed at herself and proceeded to take the bright purple glove off. "You know a lot of people think that doctors wear purple gloves so they can easily tell if they are wearing one instead of the flesh toned gloves, but in reality The reason that most nitrile gloves are colored, purple in this case, is often to add a visual indicator that differentiates it from a natural latex glove, which is cream or beige in color. Since less than 1 percent of the general population are allergic to latex, most prefer to be safe than sorry." Maura rattles off as she dumps her gloves in the trash can on the other side of the table and faces her new visited, who returned her a bemused look.

"You dont say..." Jane says trailing off. "I think you can safely assume that most of the people you handle down here won't need the added protection" she adds sarcastically motioning to the corpse laid out.

"Oh of course not! Their skin wouldn't respond to the stimulus after death even if they were allergic. "Maura states matter of factly, the sarcasm lost on her. "I just like the way they look. You know the gloves comes in many different colors beyond natural, blue and purple" she adds nodding her head.

Jane starts to laugh causing Maura to realize she missed a key social indicator again. Blushing she smiles and apologizes.

"I'm sorry, it appears I've missed something? I'm usually very astute, except when it comes to social interactions."

"No I'm sorry. I tend to be very sarcastic at inappropriate times." Rizzoli extends her hand to shake Maura's hand who eagerly takes it. The warmth of her hand enclosed in hers surprises her for a moment.

"You have very warm hands." Maura states as Jane retracts her hand rather quickly. "You must have phenomenal circulation!"

"Do...you have any findings for me yet Dr. Isles?" Jane asks tentatively while rubbing her hands.

Maura recognizes the faint traces of a scar on one of Jane's hands and makes a mental note to ask about it later.

"Yes, sorry detective..."

"Rizzoli" Jane cuts her off quickly correcting her.

"Right! Rizzoli. The woman appears to be in her 20's as evidenced by her third molars and pelvis. But I can't give a definitive number just yet." Maura adds matter of factly.

Rizzoli raised her eyebrow, "Reealy?" she elongates the word.

With Jane's Boston accent, Maura cant tell if she's being sarcastic so she continues. "Oh yes, at this point I can not clearly give a definitive age. You see the best way to check for ossification is by using an X-ray machine. Internal cranial joints, or endocranial sutures, are more reliable in determining age than external joints, or ectocranial sutures."

Jane smiles, then starts to laugh, and for a moment Maura holds her breath. She is having trouble reading her visitor, being new she wants to make a good impression. Especially with someone she knows she'll be working with quite closely.

"I'm sorry, I tend to do go on and on sometimes." Maura looks down unsure of the impression she's making.

"It's fine Dr." Jane smiles and visibly relaxes for the first time since she entered the room. "I'm glad you seem to know what your talking about, and...uh...you don't need to worry about determining her age. I actually have her file right here. We were able to ID her. Her name is Julia, she's 23 and a student at Boston university. We don't know what she was doing at the motel she was found at, I was hoping you could give me some insight on her death."

"Well I'm sorry detec...Rizzoli" Maura catches herself as Jane is about to correct her. "I haven't finished my preliminary findings yet and I still have to send things out to the lab before i can give definitive results."

Maura walks back to the body and turns her slightly over so Jane could see the multiple stab wounds on her side.

"Right now it looks like there are 6 3-4 inch incisions on her right upper quadrant."

"So she was stabbed to death. Rizzoli says as she looks at her case file.

"well, no, I mean...she was stabbed yes, but I can't be certain that's the cause of death. I have yet to fully examine the body and rule out any other possible causes of death." Maura looks up to see Jane staring at her with a perplexed look on her face.

"Could you go out on a limb here doc? Am I looking for a knife as a murder weapon or some other magical device that kills someone while looking like a knife?" Rizzoli asks in a measured tone.

"I don't go out on limbs" Maura replies unblinking. Something about this woman unnerved her. Which was hard to do for the normally stoic doctor. "And I'm not aware of many objects that resemble the perforated look of the flesh besides a knife."

" so it's a knife then, about 3 to 4 inches with perforations." Jane intones as she begins to hurriedly walk away. "Thanks Doc, it was nice meeting you!"

"wait, no! That's not what I...said." Maura calls out after her in vain. With a flourish, Jane was gone as quickly as she had arrived and Maura was once again left alone with her work.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Rizzoli & Isles, nor its respective characters. Also, I do not make a profit from writing this!

Thank you for the positive feedback! I will try to post a chapter a day until the story is done. This one I rewrote a few times not quite liking it just yet, but I want to make sure I keep up with postings! Since this is my first story, any feedback would be greatly appreciated! I have a definitive direction I want to take this, but I am curious to see what the readers think.

JPOV

Jane found herself at the end of an exhausting day enjoying a beer at a bar she had never been before. She relaxed as her fingers curled around the glass of the bottle, letting the familiarity of it take her far away from her day. Her gut was telling her she was waiting for something, and in an otherwise empty place she kept finding herself looking at the door. She gulped half the bottle feeling the liquid travel down and was just about to order one more when Maura walked through the door.

She was wearing a bright blue ribbed tight dress that went just above her knee and some insane black heels. Jane let her eyes wander up and down the honey blond doctor with little shame knowing that the cover of the poorly lit bar would hide her gaze.

She marveled at the toned legs and wondered how she stayed standing all day with those heels on. Jane was more at home in her slacks and flat boots. Rarely did she indulge in heels, except maybe when she had to testify in court, and even then begrudgingly. But Maura wore those heels all day long, which explained her exquisite legs.

Maura turned her well toned body shifting in the dress as she scanned the bar. She spotted Jane, smiled mischievously at the sight of Jane, and immediately started walking towards her. Jane panicked. She tried to keep her cool, but internally her mind started racing, why was she heading towards her? Had she seen her check her out?

_Shit_.

Jane turned her chair towards Maura allowing herself to think thoughts she normally fought to keep out. Maura strode toward her giving Jane her usual radiant smile, and for a moment Jane forgots to breath. She was trying to keep her cool, but deep down she knew how much the doctor affected her.

All of a sudden, before Jane has a chance to say hello, Maura straddles Jane who rocks back in the chair from the sudden motion.

"Doctor isles!" Jane manages to choke out.

"Maura" the doctor purrs in her ear. Her lips inches from own. Jane couldn't move, she stared incredulously at the coffee brown eyes unable to respond. Maura slowly moves her lips along the detectives clenched jaw meeting her stunned gaze.

"Maura" Jane manages at just above a whisper.

Jane rests her hands on the doctors exposed thighs. Surprised, she glances down to see that Maura's dress has slid up as she straddled her, she manages to make out her faint pink panties. Feeling the soft silky cool skin glide beneath her hands hot hands, "Holy Fuck she feels better than I imagined" Jane thought to herself.

Maura brings her lips to Jane's chin causing Jane to let out a small moan of pleasure. Her senses were in overload at the sudden actions by the doctor. She fought the urge not to throw her on the table and devour her that was growing deep within her. As the doctors lips slowly made their way around her jaw and towards her mouth, Jane heard a siren begin to blare in the distance. She smelled the doctors sweet perfume mixed with the familiar scent that working in the basement brings. The doctors weight, her soft lips barely touching her, and her sweet scent made Jane feel dizzy with desire.

Jane's body was on fire, she could feel her heart pounding in her ears, and she became ever present with her growing wetness. The smell of Maura was intoxicating and as Jane allowed her hands to slide further up her thighs, finally grabbing her and pulling her fiercely closer to her, Maura let out a sharp gasp at the sudden movement and a moan of pleasure that brought a cause and effect realization to Jane. Maura slid her hands behinds Jane's neck pulling her face closer to hers, begging for the kiss they both wanted. Suddenly, Jane could not longer drown out the siren. Was it a siren? Why did it sound so strange, so close. No, it was something else.

Jane bolted up in bed. Disoriented, she didn't understand her surroundings and she fumbled out of bed getting caught up in the sheets. She found herself on the floor of her bedroom a tangled mess.

"What the fuck was THAT?" she said out loud, surprising herself when her voice cut the air. She slapped angrily at the alarm blaring next to her nightstand.

After leaving Maura's office, she and Korsak had spent days interviewing possible witness's to the young woman's murder. They had little luck. No one recalled seeing her until she had laid dead on the ground. Worst yet, with no witness's, no weapon, they had no motive or reason for her to be at the motel, known for its seedy tenants.

The only positive surprise from the last few days was how much time she had spent with Maura. After their first meeting, Jane had gone back to apologize for her abrupt departure and ended up inviting her out with Korsak to their favorite drinking place.

Immediately, she regretted the decision. Maura was not a 'Dirty Robber' drinker. She didn't dress the part, and the place was not her type of clean. She panicked when she saw Maura's face as she arrived and took in her surroundings. It took a bit to find the right kind of drink for her, the D.R. not used to having such refined cliental. Jane carefully measured herself watching every inch of Maura's body looking for any indication she was not enjoying herself. Why did it matter to her so much?

Maura, however, had a great time and the pair, joined by Korsak, spent all night getting to know each other. Jane was surprised by how easy it was to talk to Maura. They had little in common, but that didn't stop them from spending the first night talking long after Korsak had left and the place was about to close. Jane marveled at the small intricate details of Maura's life and behavior. She wanted nothing more than to listen to the doctors voice hum along with incessant facts that she would pull out about any topic. A few times Jane surprised Maura with some knowledge of her own, but mostly Jane was content to allow the beautiful doctor to ramble on as she relaxed and marveled at how easy it was to be around her.

What sealed the deal for her that night was when Maura shared how she had not gone out since she arrived in the city, having spent the last two weeks alone in her apartment because she hadn't really made any friends yet. Her counterparts in the medical world were jealous of her smarts, and the police force in general avoided her because of the stigma the previous M.E. left. Jane felt an instant pang of guilt and unconsciously fought the urge to protect Maura. Soon they found themselves ending long days together in the basement, Jane mentally exhausted from interviewing people, and Maura distracting herself by working on evidence.

She shook herself out of her tangled mess and staggered into the bathroom. She was wet and her heart was still racing, a remnant from her dream. She was no stranger to being attracted to woman. Years ago she had experimented with a few on drunken nights, even had fleeing courtships with them, but dating men was...easier. So she tried not to pay attention when her body ignored her wishes and would react to a beautiful woman near by. Men were easier to control, and thats what she usually wanted in a relationship. There were no intense sparks, no fireworks. And sex was just another way for the detective to release her aggression, and usually she would take advantage of the tough as nails men she would date and bring home. She never had a lack of suiters, but she also never work up from wet dreams panting and angry that they had ended when she was with a man.

She starred at herself in the mirror, "get ahold of yourself Rizzoli." she scolded herself. She tried to rationalize her dream.

She was stressed and exhausted from long nights with Maura and pouring over case notes. The last message she had read before passing out was from Maura who had some results and wanted to see her first thing in the morning. That was it, she reminded herself. It made no sense that she would be having these types of dreams about her, they were friends. Of course she had noticed the doctor. Who couldn't? She wasn't dressed like a doctor, at least no doctor that she had ever met. Jane tried hard not to notice the flawless skin, the nervous smile, the silky long pale gold hair, long legs accented by the heels she traipsed around in. Alright, maybe she paid a little too much attention to the doctor. But for a moment, she thought to herself, did the doctor pay attention back?

No matter, she had to shake it off and meet the doctor for an update on her case. Jane got herself together, showered, unconsciously taking a little bit more time to apply some makeup, and headed out the door to meet Maura.


	4. Chapter 4

Mpov

Maura lost herself in the microscope. How could she have missed something so painfully obvious? She knew how, it wasn't hard to pinpoint. Despite the fact that she had done her diligence, verified all the data, it took her an extra day before she was finally able to give some information to Rizzoli. She had grown closer to the lead detective over the past few days through long nights spent talking about everything and nothing all at once. Jane would come down on the pretext of needing updates on the case, magically brining along some food that Maura would devour fixated on the detectives dark hypnotic features.

She knew Jane was frustrated about the lack of evidence. She wasn't used to the way Maura worked, but she wasn't about to compromise her science just for the sake of speculation. Maura could never guess, assume, or be involved in any type of conjecture that was not based solely in science. She would watch Jane fidget as Maura would

get excited and detail fact after fact, she knew she must be boring her, but Maura reveled at the way she felt she could be herself with Jane.

In return Jane received the very best of Maura, who worked hard to ensure she was keeping pace with the strong willed detective. Maura was used to working alone, she was comfortable with the solitary lifestyle that being a medical examiner afforded her. Jane brought her out of her shell, forcing her to enjoy her company instead of staying clamped alone in her shell. Often they would bicker over competing theories picking apart each other's with glee trying to trump one another. Maura would often catch Jane snickering as Maura would get all caught up in her trap, getting flushed with the excitement of a worthy adversary.

A loud crash caused Maura to jump as a lanky man seemed to tumble threw the doors and hit a moving cart. He was perspiring and is nervousness was easily readable on his entire body. Maura stared without speaking, waiting for the man to give his reason for breaking her serenity. It had become a normal thing for her, officers braving the basement to come down and 'drop something off' or 'bring a message' or forget entirely their reason for coming downstairs. Maura chalked it up to them being nervous at the possibility of seeing a cadaver, but she did not realize they were coming down here for the same reason Jane was. To see her.

"I...uh...Do..Doctor Isles. I have...for you...a" he panicked looking in his hands and realizing his pretext was not with him.

"Yes officer..."She drifted off, allowing him the social grace of introducing himself.

"uh, I'm Minesota, Officer...I was supposed to bring an envelope down for you, but I..." He trailed off staring at Maura with a half opened jaw. His gaze moved down her face towards her chest causing Maura to feel painfully exposed. "Thats alright officer, perhaps it could be left at the desk for me and I could pick it up on my way out."

"Right, yes" He quickly snapped back to her eyes, "uh, about your way out, I was wondering if...I...could...help you?"

"Leave?" Maura was confused, was he asking her out or telling her she needed to leave? "I think I'm capable of finding my way out on my own officer, but thank you."

He blushed, "no, I mean, would you like to go out? When you leave? Today?" He fidgeted shifting from one foot to the other, his nervousness now seeping out of him and leaving a theoretical pool on the floor.

"Oh, No" She stated blankly. "What I mean officer, is thank you, but I am not interested right now. I have a fairly large case on my hands, and I am still getting acclimated to Boston." She offered hoping he would take off, tail between his legs and leave her alone.

Instead she saw him perk up "Oh! Yeah, of course! Duh, so later than? It would be wicked great to take you out doctor, so just let me know when you're ready." He offered helpfully and abruptly turned and left, his head held high. Maura sighed, she thought she was clear, but apparently she was not forceful enough with the gaggle of men that showed up unexpectedly. Most of the time, she failed to even realize their intentions.

Maura was surprised at how easy it was to gain the other officers favor when Jane was on her side. She was slowly gaining favor with the incredibly nice officers who held doors open for her and complimented her daily. She had received a few offers for dates already, but none were her usual taste or style. She liked the perfect male specimen, tall dark handsome and brooding. Men, who took charge, command of the situation, but were sensitive and smart enough to read her needs.

When she accepted, her dates were usually full of bland conversation with these types of men, who thought they could impress her with their stories of power as if it were an extension of their penis. The truth was, that wasn't what she was looking for, but it pleased her to watch them dance for her. She had grown up surrounded by these types of men. Who thought money and position allowed them to be rude and demanding to everyone. She dated them knowing they served one purpose, to satisfy what little sexual urges she had. Usually, they left her unsatisfied and she would find a plausible excuse to stop seeing them.

She was so focused on finishing her analysis of the minute pieces she extracted from the young woman's leg that she didn't hear Jane come into the room. It was a few moments when the detective cleared her throat loud enough for Maura to finally look up.

"Oh! Detective! I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in." Maura says standing up smoothing her cream-colored dress and lab coat.

She looked Jane over and noticed that she had a slightly flushed look on her face, as if she had run down the stairs instead of taking the elevator. She was wearing a dark suit with a maroon shirt open just enough to show the top of her dark tank top, it fit her perfectly in all the right places. Maura couldn't help noticing the detective's curves as it filled out the outfit. This was yet another of her impressively fitting suits she wore that gave her an impossible air of confidence and strut that Maura couldn't put her finger on. It was nowhere near as expensive as Maura's carefully crafted clothing choices, but she looked so good all the time in the simplest of clothing choices. Is it possible Jane looked even more beautiful than the last time she saw her? Maura gave Jane what she thought was her most welcoming smile causing the detectives face to blanch even more.

"Why don't we just stick with Jane during work hours too Maura?" she asks positioning herself on the edge of a table looking relaxed and cool.

"Yes, right, ok. Jane. Jane." Maura tried the name out liking the way it rolled off her tongue, she wasn't used to being so informal with the lead detective on homicide. Then again, she wasn't used to having long, deep conversations with such a beautiful woman either.

They held each others gaze for a moment, Maura getting lost in Jane's coffee brown eyes, lost in her own thoughts for a moment, neither noticing that the other was not moving. Korsak burst through the doors causing them to both break their gaze from each other and blush.

Korsak stopped mid stride and mid sentence, "There you two are, we..." Maura tried her best to regain her composure and took a purposeful step away from Jane towards her notes on the far table.

"We found small traces of DNA on her neck, and under her nails. I had them run it through CODIS but came back with no results." She paused for effect. "But as I was finishing up the exam, I realized I had missed some crucial piece of evidence." Maura holds up a clear baggy with small black bits of matter inside with her face beaming with pride. Blank stares were her response. "I found a polymer material composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate. I have to finish conforming my results, but..."

"Maura!" Jane interjected exasperated "What are you saying? English please!"

"But I am speaking English" a confused Maura interjects. Unsure of how to continue. She was used to Jane's exasperated outcries in response to Maura going off on her science diatribe. Usually Jane would giggle and watch her go off on her tangent about whatever topic she had brought up, learning too well exactly how to push her button to get her rolling.

"Dumb English then." Korsak adds laughing now having become familiar with Maura's way of speaking and long having gotten used to Jane's frustration level.

"Its polyurethane, embedded in her leg." Blank stares. "I believe it is from a track and field track, most commonly called a Tartan Track." Maura adds clarifying, her excitement wavering at their lack of understanding.

Usually her confidence was steadfast, but when she failed to communicate clearly for other people she felt lost. She prided herself in her knowledge, but disseminating that information out was not her strong suit.

"Tar-what Track? She was dragged across a track? Reeally? Thats the break through? Do you know how many tracks there are in Massachusetts?"

"Well, no. I only know of one registry thats kept mostly up to date, but thats in England. All I know is that this track was freshly placed and high grade. There is no way that these minute fibers would have been imbedded in her skin if it was an older track."

"Ok..." Jane started moving towards the door, "Korzak weren't you just talking about some school that was asking for donations for a new track?"

"Oh yeah, they wanted to make an Olympic sized track, were asking for $100 donations to get your name on a stone or somethin." Korzak confirms shaking his head as he slowly heads for the door knowing Jane's intention before she makes them clear.

"Alright, lets go" Jane yells walking out the door with Korzak behind her.

Maura lets out a sigh releasing all the tension in her body. Jane was intense, and whatever that look was confused Maura. She was glad to be alone again in her lab having spent time getting it reorganized and clean. She was finally feeling at home in her new world, all that was left was her office, which she would continue to avoid totally until her furniture arrived. She felt flustered behind Jane's whirlwind of activity. She was used to Jane's energy invading the room when she walked in. Maura would feel herself light up at the entrance of her new friend, often knowing that she was smiling idiotically at her very presence, but not understanding why. Just knowing that this tall, muscular, wonderfully smart woman who had her second guessing herself constantly and having this constant sensation of blood pulling from her stomach and being sent to her muscles. This constant feeling of nervousness at the idea of...at the knowledge of having a new friend. She didn't trust proverbial wisdom, she liked hard science. The smile she felt spread across her pink lips at the thought of watching Jane's eyes on her told her one thing that she could not scientifically explain, the butterflies in her stomach were real.

"Maura!" Jane reappeared suddenly throwing Maura out of her day dream like a sudden drop in a dream, "Lets go!"

"Go? Go where?" Maura replied looking as confused as she felt.

"The case? Track? Evidence? I need you to come with us and help us process the scene" Jane replies pointing towards the door.

"Oh! Right, let me get my bag." Maura starts running around her lab trying to take off her lab coat, grab a small black bag, and not keep Jane waiting. She wasn't doing such a spectacular job at any of those things as she got caught in her coat while holding the bag unable to take it off or pull the small medical examiners bag up.

"Jesus Maura!" Jane cries out helping her unravel herself from the mess she had gotten in. Jane switches the bag from one hand to the other, grabs the back of the lab coat and pulls causing her to spin out the door, Jane drops the coat and stalks out after her smiling to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

_**The usual Disclaimer: I do not own Rizzoli & Isles, nor its respective characters. Also, I do not make a profit from writing this!**_

_**This chapter a bit more lengthy as I am getting more and more comfortable with writing for these characters. I genuinely appreciate the comments and feedback you all have taken the time to give me. It makes writing these chapters that much more worthwhile when I know that people are enjoying them! The next few chapters will get a little more M as the story progresses, just a fair warning I wanted to give! :)**_

_**I am also going to miss uploading the next chapter tomorrow due to work obligations! But hang in there with me kiddies! :)**_

JPOV

It was Maura that deftly spotted the small traces of blood and soon the track was a buzz with officers interviewing students and coaches and gathering evidence. After watching her work for so many nights, how methodical she was when working through even the smallest piece of evidence, Jane was not surprised by how well she knew her trade. She watched on the sidelines as the doctor guided the officers step by step through the correct process for handling evidence while making a positive impression on the normally hard to impress group.

It wasn't long before a reporter arrived to see what the buzz was about. Jane was never good with the press, and today they were in a particularly foul mood. They started berating Jane for refusing to give a statement which always bristled her, but Jane knew better than to fall into their trap. One to many misspoken statements spewed out in anger taught her it was better to just let them taunt and walk away empty handed.

Out of no where Jane heard Maura putting the reporter and cameraman to shame using words that were far to large and complicated for Jane to understand. She watched in awe as the normally controlled and stoic doctors face flushed red with anger. Jane couldn't believe what she was seeing, a side to the reserved Maura she had never seen before. A side that caused her body to respond on its own. She couldn't pull herself away from watching Maura react to the reporter who was also staring at Maura, mouths agape, unable to respond as well. It was the tightness in her stomach, and the slow flush that crept up on her as she watched the doctor. Thinking back to the dream she had, the unexpected feel of her body on top of hers, to the way her face flushed now as it did in her dream. Jane's mouth was dry as her heart pounded again in ears. Her normal instinct with feelings like this would be to run, escape. But this time her legs wouldn't cooperate, she could feel the familiar warmth in between her legs as she squeezed them tighter together trying to force herself to not lose it. She was frozen, watching as an already beautiful woman turned fiercely stunning, seemed to vibrate in her anger, her eyes ablaze as the words spilled from her tongue setting fire to anyones ears within range.

Maura finished scolding the reporter and cameraman who were shushed by shame and disappeared mumbling something about not having anything useful. Korzak and Jane were later astonished to have the same reporter and cameraman show up to the precinct to hand deliver a written letter of apology, which Jane gleefully read out loud to their chagrin. Apparently Maura had threatened the TV station that they would get no exclusives or information from the new medical examiner without a written hand delivered apology to the two lead detectives handling the case. This move, tactical or not won over what little of the precinct that wasn't a fan of the doctor already.

It also had an enormous effect on Jane who flustered at the fact that all she could do was stare as Maura became protective of her and Korzak. Jane had yet to see this side of her new friend, and the fact was she liked it. She also found a new appreciation for the doctor, and knew deep down she was one of her protected. Like a mother grizzly, Jane always protected her cubs. She was like that with Korzak. After Melody and he divorced, Jane took care of Korzak everyday helping him heal from the emotional wound. He was more upset about his son leaving than the wife. After watching him suffer the way he did, Jane promised herself she would never allow herself to go through that. She had been in a handful of relationships, but she never believed herself to be lucky in love.

In fact, although Jane dated quite a bit, long term relationships were never her style. She enjoyed the excitement of dating, the hunt and the reward of capturing her prey. The problem was that with men, there was very little hunt and even less in reward. They were easy to tangle in her web of seduction and frankly after a few dates she would lose interest and move on. The real challenge was always with her own sex. Rarely would she engage in that kind of behavior, but the temptation was to hard to resist at times. Woman were complicated creatures that required finesse and planning. She was shit at times when it came to flirting, but something about the proximity of a female, the smoothness of their skin, their intelligence and ferocity, the way they moved their bodies. Sometimes it was all too much for her to resist.

Watching Maura today confirmed one thing for her. She wanted her. She wanted to feel her, kiss her, touch her, lose herself in her eyes without needing a pretext to look away. She had no idea what that meant for their friendship, for what they were delicately building together. She knew she should tread softly here, put her feelings in the back seat and focus on building a professional relationship or a friendship with the doctor. She knew that would be the right thing to do. But Jane never really did the _Right_ thing.

When she saw Maura's face light up as she entered the room it made her heart melt. She knew that she could hardly stand being close to the doctor, let alone touch her, with out feeling her knees get weak and her heart palpitating like it was going to jump out of her chest. She wondered how no one else could hear her heart reacting to Maura's smile or the way she would spew random facts like nerd vomit. She was drawn to Maura, to her flawless skin that looked like it should be on a magazine cover no matter what the situation. At a simple touch, her flesh would burn with desire and she could feel her skin flush with excitement. No one else could bring that out in her, and in a poor effort to hide her desire, she masked it in sarcasm and whatever poor wit she could pull through her overloaded senses.

She had such a hard time reading through the doctors guarded persona. At times she thought Maura's gaze lingered too long in areas it shouldn't. And then there was that moment in the morgue, were Jane was certain Maura returned her gaze with the same longing she was starting to feel? Was she blushing because of the heat that emanated from Jane? Could Jane really be so transparent? The possibilities were driving Jane crazy. She knew she couldn't keep hiding her feelings for ever, she was terrible at it. She was to excited about the hunt, someone who could actually challenge her. She was turned on by the thought of her catch. And made a decision to pursue the beautiful doctor. There was only one way to find out if Maura was in fact reciprocating her unintentional advances, and that was to start putting her in situations she would have to react to.

The next day Jane came in with a new mindset. She had a theory and she was damned if she wasn't going to test it out. She had things planned out perfectly in her mind of how things would go, Maura's exact reaction. One way or another today Jane was going to know how to handle these emerging feelings. What she was not expecting was the double homicide that she was going to be thrown today. After a week of quiet, Boston exploded with activity and Jane was thrown more case work than she was mentally ready for. Korsak had planned on bringing in the young female victims boyfriend that the track team had helpfully pointed out was mysteriously not at practice that week and do some heavy interrogating to hopefully close the case. But with two new cases, Jane knew it would be a miracle if they were able to end the day with any progress done at all.

As they arrived at the house where the victims were located, Jane couldn't help but look for the M.E.'s car and crew. They were already there, processing the scene and preparing to take the bodies back to the precinct basement. Korsak stopped to talk to some family members that had discovered the bodies as Jane strode passed the caution tape into the family room of the home. Maura was bent over one of the bodies, carefully checking the body temperature. Jane felt her eyes almost pop out at Maura's skin tight black skirt and perfectly toned calves. Jane's mouth salivated for a moment as she allowed her eyes to take in the view of the doctor from behind. She decided now was as good a time as ever to test out her theory. She came in close to the doctor bending over next to her. She could feel the cool warmth from Maura's arm as they barely touched.

"Watcha got? Jane asked, trying to be nonchalant and not give away her inner thoughts.

"Postmortem Interval is about 7 hours. We have two bodies which I am testing algor mortis to get an estimate time of death, the thermometer is giving me an estimate of about 6 hours." Maura pulled the thermometer our of the body wiping it clean as she continued through her internal checklist.

Korsak walks in taking in the scene. "Looks like we got some rigor mortis going on here" He states the obvious as he walks around the bodies.

Maura frowns "Rigor mortis is not the best way to determine death detective. A strong fight or lengthy physical effort before death causes an earlier onset and shorter duration of rigor mortis. Children and older adults have also earlier rigor mortis than younger adults, it also tends to not last as long making it hard to estimate an accurate PMI"

"Uhh, yeah. Thats what I was trying to say" Korsak looks at Jane shrugging as she smiles back. "It appears these two own some property a few blocks from here and were trying to sell it. Seems there were some arguments about it based on who they think should be the realtor selling the house. I guess its a hot property."

"Anyone seen entering or leaving the house?" Jane asked as she surveyed the house, nothing was broken, nothing appeared missing which ruled out a burglary gone awry.

Korzak checked his notes, "A black sedan, make unknown was seen peeling out last night."

The room was getting crowded as evidence technicians gave way to officers coming in to help assess the scene and take away whatever evidence bags needed to be brought in.

"Let's get a search warrant for the house, I want to get in there before anyone else can" Jane nodded to Korsak who was already on the same page. She always marveled at how they could know what to expect from each other. "Let's also find out who the realtors on this house are. I wanna bring in all the players for this game in and have a conversation." She turned and ran into an officer who was busy ogling Maura and not paying attention to Jane. The look on his face and he eyed the oblivious doctor pissed Jane off immediately. She felt a strange combination of protectiveness and jealousy that mixed with her anger. "I want you to bring in the girlfriends boyfriend for interrogation, Minesota. If we are lucky we can crack both these cases by the end of the week." He ignored her, to lost in his own fantasy. Was that drool? "Hey! Officer Minesota! Earth to Minesota!" she yelled bringing him out of his stupor.

"uh...yeah, so...sorry" he stammered. "I was actually thinking I would stick around and help Dr Isles finish up here" he smiled sheepishly at the doctor who perked up at the sound of her name. "You know, carry the heavy stuff" he adds puffing up his chest.

"Oh! Actually we are almost done here officer, and I believe I, along with the other 6 crime techs could handle carrying everything." As he deflates at her turning down the offer, Maura turns her smile on at him which causes his chest to puff back out again.

Jane stares down at him as he stood there gazing longingly at Maura, who turned her gaze between him and Jane. Her normally honey brown eyes glowing red, fueled with the jealousy she was feeling at Maura sharing her smile with him. "Go!" Jane barked, causing him to jump and scurry out the door. Jane caught a small glimpse of Maura's smile as she turned back to her work.

Laughing Korsak headed towards the door "I'm going to go and gather the last statements from any potential witnesses, you got this in here?" he added with a wave of his hand not turning back.

"Yeah, I think Maura and I can handle it from here" Jane smiles and winks at Maura from across the body as Maura responds with a huge grin back. _T_his is going to be easier than I thought.

"So..." Jane trails off, forgetting how to start the process. "Minesota seemed pretty...distracted by you."

"Oh?" was the only reply given. Jane waited before pressing on.

"You didn't notice? I mean, he practically left a pool of drool on the floor" Maura looked at the spot as if expecting to find a pool there causing Jane to laugh.

"Well, he did ask me out, but I thought I was perfectly clear..." Maura trailed off, lost in thought for a moment. Jane felt her eyes bulge and her breath caught in her throat.

"Reeally!" She spit out rolling her eyes.

"That reminds me, he never did bring me that special package" Maura added looking at Jane quizzically as she burst out laughing.

"I didn't realize he was your type Doctor Isles" Jane added teasing.

Maura returned a coy smile to Jane and raised a carefully groomed eyebrow. "I wouldn't say he's my type detective" she purred this to Jane which caused goosebumps to raise on her flesh. "I actually think that officer and I have a standing engagement this weekend" she indicated with her protractor towards a bulking man in uniform with their back to them. Jane knew him as a total meathead with little personality, and even less intelligence.

"Really? Him? That guy?" Jane was dismayed, that's what Maura was attracted to? Maybe this wasn't as easy as Jane thought.

"Oh yes, he is a fine male specimen. Tall, large shoulders, long thin metacarpals, his brow ridges are perfectly aligned and his face symmetrically aligned." She pauses briefly eyeing him up and down adding "he also fills his uniform out wonderfully!"

Jane snorted at Maura's reasoning "So we haven't had a long conversation with him I take it?"

"No, but then again, I'm not hoping to do much conversing that night" she added matter of factly.

Jane balked at that statement. Her mind flashed to seeing Maura and the officer, entangled in the type of situation Jane was hoping to find herself in. Her face blushed at Maura's bluntness. She was supposed to be making her blush not the other way around.

Jane leaned in closer to look at the wound that Maura is taking careful measurements of and examining. She breathed in Maura's sweet perfume, her scent not yet tainted by the familiar decomp that working in the basement tends to add. Maura is lost in her own world, taking careful notes and dictating the world around her in a careful dance of control. Jane couldn't help but watch was Maura controlled everything around her with ease. It wasn't until Maura caught Jane staring and returned her gaze that Jane finally looked away and blushed. Jane lost her nerve and focused on the case at hand instead of on wooing Maura.

A few hours later, as they all filed out of the house, Korsak invited Maura to the usual drinking hole and she readily agreed stating she had a lot of work ahead of her and a little distraction tonight would be welcomed. Jane was disappointed, she was hoping to have her alone time with Maura in the privacy of their basement and see if she could get a reaction of out her friend. Driving with her partner, they arrived first giving Korsak went in and immediately bee-lined to the bar giving Jane time to find a booth and situate herself facing the door.

The familiar tingle of waiting for something to happen filled her as she remembered the details of her dream. Alone, Jane allowed herself a few moments to remember the thoughts that haunted her. The way Maura strode in, her heels clacking on the bar floor, the forcefulness of her sitting on top of her, the aggression as she drove herself into Jane moaning softly in Jane's ear. Jane had to stop herself, she could feel herself blush and get wet as the thoughts invaded her mind. She took a few breaths to calm herself down. She needed to be more clear headed than this if she was going to figure anything out tonight.

Maura walked in a few minutes later and smiled upon recognizing her. Jane's stomach flipped as she came over with the same familiar stride Jane was just fantasizing about, and sat across from her. Drinks were ordered and casual conversation traded its way back and forth between the three friends with Jane carefully watching Maura's reaction to her carefully placed hands, feet, eyes, and words.

Jane focused her intense stare on Maura, laughing and licking her lips at the doctor causing her to drop her sentence in distraction. Jane wasn't sure what she was doing, but it was working, she thinks. With men it was a simple flick of her hair and a wink. With woman however, well, to be fair she was usually not the hunter. She responded to Maura's questions in her low gravely voice, ignoring Korsak's raised eyebrow. He excused himself on the pretense of a full bladder, but Jane saw his quick glance back. She blushed as she allowed her leg to 'accidentally' rub against Maura's complaining about needing to stretch. Maura barely batted an eyelash rambling on about the shoes she wears and how she should do yoga to help stretch her muscles.

Jane suddenly grabbed Maura's hand; using the excuse of admiring a ring the doctor was wearing to softly stroke her fingers with her own. It was their first touch since shaking hands, and she felt electricity race through her body at the feel of Maura's cool hand in hers. She watched keenly for any sign of mutual attraction and was rewarded with the slightest sign. Jane smiled to herself as Maura stuttered her way through an explanation of the ring, withdrawing her hand.

What caught Jane's attention was not the stutter, but the involuntary reflex her eyes did as Jane softly stroked her fingers across Maura's hand. She watched as Maura's eyes dilated as she moved her fingers. The hunch the detective had was spot on, Jane had all the confirmation she would need. She was not going to play it safe.

The hunt was on, and her unknowing prey was about to see a side of Jane she wasn't prepared for.


	6. Chapter 6

_**The usual Disclaimer: I do not own Rizzoli & Isles, nor its respective characters. Also, I do not make a profit from writing this!**_

_**Anyone else spend their day wistfully day dreaming about what they are going to add or change to the story or chapter they are working on? No? Its just me? Oh well, guess I'm just fixating ;) Hope everyones everyones week is off to a great start and you enjoy the next chapter! Don't forget to send your thoughts and comments! Cheers! **_

MPOV:

Maura dumped the last file on the pile with the other. With three homicides in less than a week, there were lots of papers to sign off on for evidence to be compiled, filed, and processed. Then the evidence had to be certified, and she had to verify the findings signing off on them. Most of the findings did not surprise her. She expected to find the cause of death for the two men to be blunt force trauma. She expected to find the blood spatter to match her findings. She expected to confirm her suspicions that the D.N.A. found on the first woman's body to match that of her boyfriend.

She never guessed, she never assumed, but she knew her evidence. She knew her process, she never speculated, and she never assumed. She hated assuming. She loved the scientific process that her job entailed. The theory and process of elimination, the data, the thrill of linking together information and coming to clean conclusions. It was the reason she loved her job. Live humans, complicate information. They lie, cheat, and complicate clear evidentiary processes. Dead humans on the other hand, do not lie. The evidence is there for her to collect, analyze and tell their story. She felt it an honor to be able to muddle through the facts and give them one last chance at retribution. To present the truth and put away the ones who destroy lives. It was her form of crime fighting, her form of truth and justice and she was good at it.

What she was not good at was understanding humans, or the reasons why they did whatever crazy things they do. She was always more comfortable burying herself in a book, researching whatever she could get her hands on than try to explain why her parents were never around, or why she had a hard time connecting with her school mates. It was not until later in life when she grew into her looks and accepted who she was that she was finally able to start connecting with people. But they still befuddled her. She stared at the pile of case notes in front of her, carefully cataloged, organized, and ready to be filed away under her astute eye. Nothing out of place. It was her gift.

She unconsciously checked her watch. Jane had begun to act strange since the double homicide. Maura excused it for being preoccupied with work, but there were other differences than the work ethic she had grown accustomed to turning more aggressive as it attacked every lead with a ferocity she wasn't used to seeing. Jane was dressing differently than when the doctor first met her, she held her gaze longer with a smoldering burn she thought for sure she was imagining, her sarcastic wit flourished more, and she stood closer to her as they processed the bodies. Never touching her, but always being close enough that the doctor could feel the warmth emanate from her body. It made her feel good to have Jane around, comforted that she was not repulsed by her job or the bodies she had to handle.

She didn't find the science interesting like Maura, she didn't care about the details of her job beyond what it meant for her investigation, Maura knee that. But she would stick around after her shift would end and listen to Maura as she recorded her discoveries, adding a sarcastic comment here or there that Maura would giggle at when she would listen back to type out her findings. The sound of Jane's gravely voice would raise the hair on her neck and sometimes cause a pilomotor reflex, that Jane pointed out to her once when she noticed. Hardly anything escaped that woman's eye. She stood so close to Maura that she could smell her soft perfume, staring into her eyes and holding her hand above her arm never touching it. "Goosebumps" was all she said, never wavering her eyes. Maura didn't know how to respond. Jane had become very good at making Maura's mind to go blank and her body numb. It was like she had a direct line to her soul and was playfully tugging at it's ends.

The truth was, she didn't understand her body's reaction to Jane. The closer Jane got, the more severe the response. She sighed again, relaxing her shoulders and closing her eyes. She was not used to this. She was not used to not having an explanation for the world around her, let alone her body. The way her body was reacting, the way her heart jumped when Jane walked into the room, the way she found herself responding to Jane with a huge goofy grin. What was wrong with her? Is this how it was with best friends? Maura checked her watch again, she was late. Jane always showed up right a the end of her day, asking for a break in evidence even though she knew perfectly well that Maura wouldn't have anything just yet. It was a game they like to play and Jane was exceptional at it.

As if on cue, Jane strolled through the doors causing Maura to break into a huge smile. It was involuntary now, but the reaction she received from Jane always took her breath away. The normally stolid detective would return her smile with one of her own. One that would light up her face, and soften her eyes. It was a smile that Maura had not seen Jane give to anyone was a smile Maura felt was reserved for her, and the effect it had on Jane's face was astonishing. As beautiful as this woman was, when she smiled, her whole face lit up and was ravishing. It always caught Maura by surprise, and she had trouble getting her mouth to respond when her brain was stuck on staring at Jane's beautiful face.

"Ready?" Jane asked as if they were finishing a conversation from hours ago. Maura frowned, she had no idea what she was talking about and she had a pile of work left to do.

"Ready for what? Did we have plans tonight? I don't remember making any." Maura replied, searching her brain for anything she might have missed or forgotten. She had an eidetic memory of sorts and rarely if ever forgot a detail.

"We" Jane replied elongating the word, "Are going to search the home thats for sale for any possible clues." Jane was already grabbing Maura's jacket and medical bag, knowing Maura would need both.

"We are? Why not have the crime techs search through it? Or the other officers?" She was already getting up, knowing it was better to do what the detective wanted than to argue. Jane usually had a good reason for things and the doctor trusted her emphatically already.

Jane watched as she walked over to grab her coat, she took it and put it on, watching Jane and waiting for a response. "We...I need your...expert opinion. Your eye for detail Doctor Isles" Jane responded herding her out. Maura knew she was hiding something, but the flattery from Jane, and her hand on the small of her back, distracted her enough to get her in the car and to the vacant home.

No one was there when they arrived which surprised Maura, she expected at least a squad car watching the place as the warrant was served. No inhabitants seemed to be around at all, and Jane choose to park down the street mumbling something about preserving the evidence for wheel tracks. Maura corrected her by explaining that wheel markings would be rare on concrete and stone, which is what the driveway was composed of.

The house they walked up to was massive, easily a home worth 1 or 2 million with its carefully pruned flowers and shrubs and shuttered windows. Jane told her to wait at the front door while she evaluated the surroundings which suited Maura just fine, she didn't really want to walk through a yard with her heels on anyway.

Just as suddenly as she had disappeared, Jane appeared at the front door, holding it open and ushering Maura in who frowned at the fact that Jane was not wearing gloves. She reached in her bag and pulled out two sets, one for her and one for Jane who slapped each glove on roughly. Maura took in her surrounding, it was a beautifully decorated home with dark wood floors and bright walls that warmed the large and mostly vacant rooms up. There were boxes carefully piled in each room blocking some of the windows view to the outside world.

"What are we looking for Jane?" Jane was treading carefully, not making any noise as if afraid of scaring the evidence out the door.

"Anything Maura, Anything in plane sight", she replied absentmindedly looking inside a very expensive vase.

Maura stopped finally piecing together what was missing. "Jane." Jane didn't turn around as if already knowing what Maura was thinking. "Jane. Where is the warrant? Why are we the only ones here?"

"Who said anything about a warrant?" Jane responded cooly, ducking out of the front room into what appeared to have been a study.

"Jane!" Maura yelled, exasperated. "What do you mean 'what warrant'?"

""Keep it down Maura! You wanna tell the whole world we are here?" Jane hissed back.

Maura marched into the room, "Are you telling me we are breaking and entering? I am breaking the law?" The thought sent Maura into a panic, she never broke the rules. It was part of her scientific process, her rigor meant she followed the rules to the letter.

"No." Jane paused, "I wouldn't say you were breaking the law, more like, bending it slightly. The judge wouldn't give us the warrant for the house until we had something more concrete, but the house is still on the market which means open houses could happen and destroy any possible evidence. I needed us to come in here and make sure we took stock of anything that could help us break the case and put the bastard who did this away. The back door was open, and if anyone asks we just stretch the truth a little about how we came about the information."

Maura's world whirled by, she could hear the familiar roaring in her ears which meant she was about to pass out, she started hyperventilating at the thought of being caught and having to possibly lie. She was not a good lier, she firmly believed it was the only thing she was allergic to. She felt woozy and her knees seemed to give way as she tried her best to calm herself down. Immediately Jane was at her side looking worried at what was happening to her. "I...am not...a...good lie...hyperventilate!" she gasped in between breathes flailing her arms. She could feel her lungs constrict while her eyes narrowed. Panic was setting in at the thought of passing out both in front of Jane and in the commission of a crime.

Jane was struggling not to laugh,"Maura, I'm sorry, I should have told you. I knew you wouldn't come if you knew, but I need your eyes in this. Ok?" she paused as Maura seemed to calm down "I promise we won't get caught. Please, calm down, its ok." The look of fear and concern spread across her face. Maura started to regain her breathing.

"I...I'm sorry. I just, I can't lie Jane. I can't. I hyperventilate. I pass out. I just can't lie. And I don't break the law!" Maura bellowed at her friend, how could she do this? Jane couldn't contain herself, her smirking turned to laughing which caused Maura to start to laugh too. She began to relax, she trusted Jane, she just hated being tricked.

"I'm sorry Maura, lets just get out of here ok, I don't think theres anything here anyway" Jane;s low voice calmed her as she started to lead her towards the front door. Suddenly, a car pulled into the driveway and they both froze. Maura panicked and turned to Jane who's face remained stoic as usual.

"We need to hide, come on Maura, in here" they went back into the study and Jane pointed to a stack of boxes that had enough space for them to get behind them with no visibility from the other side. Maura's heart was racing, she knew this was a bad idea, and now they were in real danger. Jane's eyes darted to the front door that she knew would open any moment. Maura crawled into the space as best she could, laying on her back. There was no room for Jane to lay next to her and they were running out of time. They heard keys entering the lock at the front door. Jane paused looking at Maura laying on the floor, fear and panic written plainly on her face. Maura motioned for Jane to get on top of her, and as the door opened, Jane practically flung herself on top of Maura causing her to grunt softly at the pressure of her body on hers.

Jane turned her head facing the boxes, she was hovering above Maura, her hands at her sides pushing her up as she balanced on her toes in a push up position. Maura could hear footsteps as the person walked away from the study to a room down the hall. She could hardly breath. She was terrified at the thought of being discovered by a possible killer and furious at Jane for putting them in this situation. If Jane had only waited for a the search warrant they wouldn't even be in this mess. Her adrenaline caused her blood to pound in her ears and her senses to overhype everything.

The first thing she noticed was Jane's familiar smell. She could clearly define it, the perfume was fresh, with a hint of lavender that she attributed to either her her fabric softener or her perfume, mixed her Jane's sweat and a faint smell of whatever product she put in her hair. The mixture of her scent seemed to vibrate within Maura's lungs, it was such a delicious scent. Maura inhaled deeply, trying to force her body to relax. Jane's soft luscious hair fell on her chest tingling as it swept across, as she turned her head slightly trying to get a better angle at what sounded like a movement happening in a kitchen. A drawer opening and closing and things being shuffled around as someone clumsily looked for something. Maura's skin tingled, she felt strangely safe with Jane on top of her. She didn't know if it was the adrenaline or how ludicrous the situation was, but she started to relax as she felt Jane breathing softly and evenly on top of her. As Jane slightly shifted drawing her momentarily closer, her mind went blank, all she could think about was Jane's scent, the warmth from her body as it closed in on hers, the feel of her hair as it cascaded on her chest. Her mouth started to salivate and she found herself aching for more contact.

She felt crazy, they were in an impossibly dangerous situation and all Maura could think about about was pressing Jane closer, feel her strong body on top of hers. Jane turned slightly at the sound of footsteps shuffling up some stairs, appearing to relax slightingly but still holding a small frown on her lips. They could hear the steps go from room to room decidedly, it was apparent that whomever was here was looking for something specific and was growing agitated at not being able to find it.

Maura's mind fixated on her lips as they breathed in a small sigh. She thought about how soft they looked, how plump and firm. Wait, was she thinking about another woman's lips? She shook her head softly as if to force the thought out of her head, the sudden movement caused Jane's body to stiffen, unsure if Maura heard something she missed. Jane's perfume tumbled off from the action to Maura's delicate nose which she inhaled deeply. It was intoxicating and Maura could not stop herself from once again fantasizing about Jane's lips. What would it feel like to touch them? Press them against her own? Maura's body was no longer under control. It yearned for Jane in a way she had never experienced before. She felt her legs weak and her heart palpitating in her chest as her desire grew. Perhaps it was the adrenaline causing this to happen. Her hands grew clammy and her stomach felt like it was going to fly out of her body. She could feel a hot flush growing on her face.

The footsteps started heading down the stairs at a quicker pace than when they headed up and Jane's body tighten at the response. How long had they been in this position? She watched as the smallest tremor started on the strong woman's arms. How long had she been holding herself up off of Maura? Gently, Maura pulled at Jane's arms, encouraging her to lay down on top of her. Jane looked at Maura's face, confusion written on it. Maura wasn't sure if she was afraid she would be to heavy for the smaller doctor or if she could read the thoughts flashing through Maura's mind. Jane readjusted drawing a leg in between her legs kneeling above her. They stared at each other in silence both hardly breathing. Maura grew dangerously aware of Jane's knee nestled in between her legs, it took all she had not to pull her in closer, her wetness growing reflexively.

Suddenly the footsteps started heading toward the front of the house again. She could feel Jane's heart racing and in a panic, Maura pulled at Jane afraid that she would be visible above the boxes in her current position. Jane tumbled on top of her, causing her thigh to crash in between Maura's legs releasing a soft moan that escaped from the doctors lips. They both froze.

Within seconds, Maura's body responded to Jane's physical presence on its own, her hands pulling at Jane's soft but firm body, her face flushed red, licking her lips trying to overcome her suddenly dry mouth. Jane shifted her leg slightly driving it deeper into her body. She was staring at Maura's face, a slight smile on her lips as she repeated the motion, causing Maura's eyes to roll slightly and her toes to curl at the exquisite sensation. She gripped Jane's shirt fighting the urge to lose control. She could feel Jane's soft breath on her, both of them panting from a mixture of excitement and adrenaline.

The footsteps paused, seemed to slow down and change direction heading towards the study they were in. Maura was in overload mode, she couldn't stop the way her body was responding to Jane, nor did she want to. She had never felt this way before, lust taking over, not caring if the person just a few feet away was a killer or not, only caring that Jane not stop. Jane never took her eyes off Maura, appearing to relish in the reaction that Maura was having. The footsteps walked into the room, stopping just a few inches from their hiding space. Suddenly they could hear something sliding slowly, shifting the air in the room. They could hear things moving around, being shifted and heaved carelessly, their bodies tense and rigid as they tried to not even breath for fear of giving their location away. Maura mouthed to Jane "trapdoor", Jane nodded in agreement. Just as suddenly as the steps had arrived, the same sliding sound repeated and the footsteps stomped towards the door, opening and closing it quickly shoving the key in and setting the lock.

Neither of them moved for what felt like eternity. Finally they could hear an engine start and a car peel away. Jane smiled a wicked smile at Maura that caused her toes to curl again and a panic to rise in her chest as she took her first breath. Slowly she dislodged herself from Maura allowing her to run her face and body near almost every inch of the doctors body giving her an involuntary shiver that ran the length of her body. Jane's eyes ran the length of Maura's body revealing a hunger Maura was sure she was reading right. A smoldering look emanated from the detectives eyes that seemed to penetrate to her core. She was sure she was not thinking clearly. The detectives dark eyes framed by her wild hair, Maura felt like she was her prey and at any moment Jane was going to pounce on her, or was she displacing? Was she so hungry for the feel of Jane that she was wishing for her thoughts to be true.

Maura shivered, at the sight of the detective's strong, bold, and insatiably sexy body. At the action of what just happened, and the feeling her body wouldn't let her ignore.


	7. Chapter 7

_**The usual disclaimer: I own nothing I make nothing, this is all purely for fun with no intention to hurt or harm or steal. **_

_**I am sooo sorry for the delay in posting the next chapter! I had this all wrapped up nicely in a lovely teal bow for everyone to feast upon, but for some reason it did not save correctly so I had to rewrite most of it. OOOOOOOH Technology! Foiled again! **_

_**Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the latest little tid bit, I apologize for the harried manner in which it was written, I didn't want to delay another release so I tried to recapture the magic that had been deleted by the computer gremlins! Have a magical weekend, I will have the next chapter out within a day or two! As usual, please leave your thoughts/feedback if moved to!**_

JPOV

Jane sat at her desk staring at the blur of words on the pages in front her absentmindedly. She was lost in thought carelessly rubbing the spot on her leg that had caused the soft low moan to escape from Maura's lips. She had just barely heard it, but it was all she needed to confirm her suspicions. She was busy daydreaming about the way the small doctor felt beneath her, arching her body to press it against her, the way her delicate hands clung to the sides of her shirt, her soft breath on the nape of her neck. It didn't matter to Jane why it happened, only that it had. She smiled to herself allowing her fantasy to take her further than what happened that day in the empty house, both their adrenaline coursing through their bodies at the elicit danger permeating through the house.

"Jane!" Korsak dropped a stack of papers on her desk abruptly slamming her out of her new favorite daydream. She blushed at being caught by her partner who was staring at her concerned. "What's got into you Jane?"

"Huh? Nothing, what's this?" she asked pointing at the stack of papers, trying to distract his attention.

"This, oh, THIS! This is the paperwork we need to fill out because we are being mandated to see some fancy new shrink. He bellowed pacing. "Apparently, we still gotta jump through hoops to prove we can still function as partners!" This last statement caused Jane to finally pay attention. "how many times we gotta justify what happened? Prove we can get passed and just move on?" he stated softer this time, stealing a glance at Janes hands. Jane reflexively covered her scars with her fingers.

"It's fine Korsak, we've been through this before", Jane sighed as she recounted the countless times they were forced to see someone and talk about their shared ordeal.

"Jane, they've never brought someone from the outside in before." He hesitated causing Jane to look up at him. "Are you...do you need something? You seem...kind of distracted lately..." he trailed off letting Jane fill in the dots.

"I'm fine" Jane smiled knowing the real reason for her distraction. "Besides, what's a shrink from the outside ganna do different for us anyway." She snorted knowing that she wasn't the type of person to open up to anyone, especially about something she believed is a weakness, and more importantly not to an outsider. Someone she can't trust. "Who's the guy who's ganna get us to share our most intimate secrets?" she asked rather snarky causing Korsak to smile.

"He's a she," he states matter of factly, leaning in as if conspiring. "She's some fancy shrink from England, they're callin in the heavy guns Jane. Cavanough is serious", he adds referring to their captain.

Jane waved off the implication that someone could change what they had working. Korsak returned a half hearted smile and turned back to his pile of work, every once in a while sneaking a glance back at Jane who had a slight grin on her face. She wasn't worried, it's all protocol. And Jane had someone else to worry about opening up to.

MPOV

It had been a week since Maura had last seen Jane. Since the day they broke into the house, and Maura's body had betrayed her. They had hardly spoken a word following their return. Maura breathless and flushed Jane simply whispered "Come on" as she helped pick her up off the floor and guide her out the front door. They drove back in silence, Maura's head spinning over what had just happened. She had broken the law, barely escaped detection from a possible killer, and reacted to the touch of her best friend in a way she had never experienced before. She had allowed herself to take one look at Jane as she drove them back to the precinct, a smug small smile was on the detectives face causing Maura to wonder, just for a moment that maybe the detective had orchestrated the whole thing. But that was illogical, why would she do that? No, this was all in her head and Maura needed to figure out everything systematically.

She had caught a glimpse once of Jane during the passing week, through the glass partition as she was carefully stirring her coffee talking to some other officer. Maura's face flushed at the sight of the detective, who looked radiant. She allowed herself a moment to take in the woman, dressed in a dark brown suit, with a teal dress shirt on. Her hair hung lose and wild around her face framing it perfectly. She was smiling at whatever the two were talking about and for a moment Maura smiled too. Then logic set in and Maura quickly pulled herself together escaping back into her basement. Jane had come searching for her, like Maura knew she would. But she would find an excuse to leave, or would hide entirely not quite ready to face up to her friend just yet. Had she seen her gasp and moan in pleasure? Had she realized the want that was emanating from her eyes? What was happening to her?

She searched for possible causes for her bodies reaction? She was lonely, she was overwhelmed at so much change, she was displacing on her friend Jane what she should be feeling for other men? She was lusting after a beautiful smart woman who understood her better than anyone else ever had. Perhaps that was it? Perhaps it was their emotional connection, having spent so much time together since they met. Maura knew they had an instant bond, not sure if she believed in non-scientific connections of any sort, however she knew there was something bringing them together. She missed it, she missed Janes deep throaty laugh, the way she would add a sarcastic quip sidelining whatever Maura was talking about. But she refused to allow herself to do something she didn't fully understand.

Maura badly needed to release some stress, her body was no longer her own, and she knew she needed to do something about it. She couldn't get the feeling of Janes soft skin and hard body on top of hers out of her head. The smell of her musk blended with soft perfume and hair product, the feel of her warm breath as it tickled her neck. More than anything, the feeling of her hips invading her, the way her body reacted to the feel of her knee sliding in between her thighs, getting wet and releasing the involuntary moan. She had canceled the date with the officer, the thought of spending time with anyone, especially someone who was not Jane left a sour taste in her mouth. She needed time to reflect, and work her way out of the mess her body had created.

She decided the best way to release some of her stress was to try out the gym at the precinct. It was a perfect excuse for her not to be there when Jane came looking for her. Although, the last few days she wasn't sure she had come since she was now actively avoiding the basement all together.

For now, she had no other place to work out at anyway. She hadn't yet had time to find a more suitable place than the gym her coworkers used. The thought of sharing a space where these men sweat was unappetizing to her. No matter, it was her only option and she was desperate for some type of release. She knew that working out would release endorphins that mimic the euphoric feeling of an orgasm. Why was she thinking about orgasms? Frustrated, she headed for the 4th floor gym hoping to force her body to realign.

The gym did not feel large enough to accommodate the large men it housed at that moment Maura thought. A stickler for hygiene, the fact that these men sweat at all repulsed her. She was surprised by how many people were actually in the gym hoping it would be mostly empty due to it being just a bit after the lunch hour. Then she realized that she worked at a 24 hour precinct and for many of the people in there, it was the end or beginning of their shift. She walked around getting her bearings at the various type of equipment she had at her disposal. She normally enjoyed working out through yoga, Pilates, or some form of dancing class, so free weights were lost on her as we're most of the cardio machines. She started stretching near some weight benches where there were mats and enough space to spread her self out.

Within a few minutes she realized the area she was in had gone mostly silent, the men having effectively stopped working out and were just staring at her twist and turn her small body into moves that would make a contortionist blush. She normally would have loved having such strong male specimens gawk a her, but right now she hated the unwanted attention and moved to the cardio machines picking a treadmill and continued her warm up with a light jog. Running was relaxing and freeing for her. She could allow her mind to relax like she did when she meditated during yoga. She started increasing the speed getting to a level were her body was coasting on its own at a comfortable pace. Within a few minutes, She could feel the familiar burn in her legs and that brought to mind Janes legs. How strong and lithe they were. How they supported her incredible torso which had pressed down on her with such delicate force...maybe running wasn't such a good idea.

She moved to a small machine in the corner that had about 6 arm and leg exercises built in and thought this would suit her needs for muscle excretion well. It was a complicated contraption and it took her a few moments to figure out how to adjust the weights according to which exercise she was going to be doing. She sat down and relaxed, allowed her mind to wander around the gym, past the machines to a wall of mirrors that gave her a view of the entire arena. She started with some low resistance arm presses focusing her attention on the mirror. Suddenly, her heart stopped. She dropped the bar she was pulling causing a loud slam when the weights where no longer suspended in mid air, she recognized a familiar figure.

Jane was dropping a small cloth and water bottle at the base of one of the treadmills. Not more than a few feet from where she had just been. Maura's mouth went dry. She had an odd urge to run as a tightening in her chest increased before her brain processed the situation in its entirety. While she could see Jane's entire body, it was only because of the mirrors that she had such a great vantage point, Maura was hidden by the rows of machines and the curve of the gym. She deciding that there was no reason they couldn't both enjoy the gym, especially since Jane didn't know she was here. Maura quickly readjusted the machine changing it to her biceps.

She sat deep in the machine, trying not to stare at Jane, but finding no other spot to stare at in the entire gym. She watched as Jane turned her back towards her and bent over painfully slow, stretching all the way to the ground. Maura was surprised by how flexible Jane's body was, as the front stretch moved from leg to leg. Maura marveled at the view of her friends thin frame bent over, her gluteus maximus suspended beautifully in the air. Jane moved to a sitting position in perfect view of Maura who found herself panting softly again, having lost track of how many reps she had done a long time ago. She could hardly breath as Jane defly maneuvered herself into the splits, slowly pulling herself through a very thorough stretch.

Maura watched as Janes muscles rippled through the various maneuvers, how her body flexed and shifted beneath the black under armour tank top and Lycra pants. Her heart was pulsing through her body, and her chest felt tight, making it hard to breath. She could feel her arms burn deep before she realized she was still doing the same exercise. She let go painfully rubbing her tender biceps as they screamed in pain. "ouch" she mouthed, to herself not wanting to give her location away. She was in the process of switching to her legs when Jane dipped down into something of a downward dog, giving Maura full view of everything. She squeezed her legs together pumping through the leg curls she was doing, her body humming as she watched with intense scrutiny.

Jane stood up and stretched her full body out her muscles taunt as she revealed her full body. Her hair fell back into place around her natural face in a cascade. Maura's abdominal tightened at the sight of Jane's relaxed face and body. Her zygomatic bone arched high, full soft lips, dark eyebrows that hooded over her intense eyes, she had an amazing symmetrical face. Maura unconsciously pressed her thighs together again and licked her lips as she watched Jane pull her hair up revealing her long neck. The pressure reminded her of Jane and she squeezed again to feel the pressure on her throbbing area between her legs. Her legs painfully cried for a break forcing her to wake up from her pleasant daydream. She could feel the beads of sweat slowly rolling down her back causing her to shiver. She was panting, she wasn't sure if it was from the mental or physical workout she was putting herself through.

Jane was at a full graceful run, her long legs stretching and pulling almost the full length of the treadmill. Her intensity as she ran was mesmerizing. she held nothing back releasing her fury and frustration with each step. Her face started to flush from the excretion, small beads of sweat forming along her brow. Maura wondered if that's the same look Jane would have if she had those long legs wrapped around her body, moving in time with her.

Blushing, she averted her eyes. Is that what she really thought? She'd never had thoughts like this, she felt guilty for thinking of her friend this way. But she felt something else. Pleasure. She enjoyed her brief fantasies when she allowed them to happen. The way her body tensed starting with her chest. How she would feel a soft persistent throb in her pelvis as her body lubricated itself, thoughts of Jane Rizzoli in various situations toying constantly at the corners of her mind. Lost in thought she realized that Jane was done with her run and was stepping off the machine to talk to another woman.

It seemed that someone else had noticed Jane. A tall thin woman in tight black pants and an orange sports bra stood close to Jane. What stood out to Maura was the curves in the strangers figure and the burgundy hair that fell in long loose curls below her shoulders. She watched as the woman licked her lips and edged closer to Jane. She felt an odd feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. She didn't like the way that Jane was responded back to the woman. The way she stood closer, gently touching the woman's arm, smiling back and laughing at something that was shared between them. If Maura didn't know better, she could swear that Jane was flirting back. The feeling in her core grew and she recognized it immediately. She understood the cultural implications that this feeling meant, insecurity, anger, frustration at watching someone else flirt with something she wanted. Bad. Her mouth suspended as she watched the interaction wishing she could hear what was being said, and who it was that Jane was talking to. For a moment, Maura caught Jane's eyes in the mirror. She knew it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but she could have sworn that Jane was watching her, studying her reaction.

JPOV

Jane knew Maura was in the gym immediately upon entering. She heard the smash of the weights that Maura had dropped, but didn't respond. The fact is, even without the doctors help in her locating her, she could smell the doctors sweet perfume as if she was standing right next to her. Jane had committed that smell to memory. She took her time stretching, using the chrome off one of the machines to measure Maura's reaction as she maneuvered her body around. By the time she started running she had watched Maura's face flush and her skin glisten with exertion or excitement. She figured out that there was a specific mirror she could reflect Maura's reflection through to continue to watch her reaction to Jane's body movements.

Jane started running with intense ferocity, pushing herself as she usually does to release all her fury, frustration, and rage from the work she does. She could feel her blood pumping through her veins, her legs tensing and releasing as she pushed herself and her body to its top abilities. Finally, she could no longer take the strain on her legs, her lungs begging for air, all her muscles taunt and tense, she stepped off the machine once again glancing at Maura's face, distracted by her lightly opened mouth and glazed over stare. Jane couldn't help but smiling at her friends reaction.

"That was quite a run...Detective Rizzoli" a smooth voice with a slight accent dripped through the statement. Jane looked up to see a woman almost as tall as she was, with a stone hard body hungrily eyeing her. She was distractingly beautiful with her mane of hair that made her eyes appear to be on fire. So much so that Jane for a moment forgot about Maura, watching her in the distance. "You certainly have built quite an impressive...body. I couldn't help but notice you working out." She let her long fingers softly touch Jane's bicep tracing down the length of her muscle that tensed under her.

"Yeah, its a gift and a curse" She offered back in her usual snarky manner, no need to lose your cool now, she thought. She checked back so see Maura's reaction, her mouth had dropped a bit more, and she was intensely scrutinizing her talking to this beautiful stranger. Jane felt a little bolder at the attention.

"Well, from where I'm standing Detective, its most certainly a gift. In all my years working with officers I don't recall anyone ever move so sensually so easily Detective" She added smiling, "I'm Doctor Rebecca, I believe you and I have a standing engagement this week."

"Really?" Jane was surprised, this was the shrink she and Korsak were supposed to talk to? "Are you going to start charging for this session?" She asked laughing allowing herself to get closer, she saw Maura squint in the mirror as Rebecca laughed lightly touching Jane's arm again.

"Oh, no Detective, I won't charge you for this, nor would I dream of charging you for any meeting outside of work hours." She winked at Jane knowingly offering Jane an opening.

"Well Doctor, I look forward to having you." She blushed as the doctor caught her slip-up and quickly tried to cover her tracks. Why was she so bad at flirting with woman? "I...I mean I look forward to our meeting. Time. Time of meeting. Again, in the future." Stop talking Jane she yelled at herself.

"We could, always move it up a little, unofficially of course. I could give you a call?" Rebecca smiled sweetly at Jane, but in her eyes she was eyeing the detective up and down hungrily. Jane shivered at the brazen openness of this strange woman's lust.

"Sure" She lowered her voice knowing how sultry and husky it comes out. " Do you have a pen and paper?"

"That doesn't exactly go with this outfit Detective" She took a step back indicating her body allowing Jane full view and permission to look her over. Jane did so with a relish allowing her eyes to drive through every curve, suppressing an urge to caress her milky soft skin. "I could remember Yours without a problem Detective." The way she said detective caused Jane's body to react, her hairs standing on end at the sexual drip of this new voice.

Jane recited her number to Rebecca, but her eyes were not on her, they were fixed on Maura. She stared so intently, trying to read her face, understand her emotions. Was she jealous? Angry? Did she not care? Jane snapped back from her longing gaze at her friend as the new doctor put her hand softly on her arm.

"I'll be sure to call you Detective, perhaps we can try a new different form of therapy together." It wasn't a question as much as an indication of her intentions. She smiled wickedly at Jane causing her to blush again at the apparent thought of this woman. She watched her walk away enjoying the view for almost a second too long before looking up at the mirror again to find Maura. But Maura was gone, no sign of her ever having been there. Jane was left alone in the gym, surrounded by men, with only her desires to keep her warm.


	8. Chapter 8

_**The usual Disclaimer: I do not own Rizzoli & Isles, nor its respective characters. I do not make a profit from writing this! **_

_**I am in a bit of pain today because I went on a 14 mile hike (some what willingly) yesterday, so I am doing my best to limit movement. Which means that this week will probably be an every other day update in the story! How we doin otherwise kids? :) I really appreciate the feedback, it helps guide me and make sure I am leading everyone in the right direction! This is my first fan fiction ever, and I appreciate any thoughts on how things are chugging along for the rest of you! **_

_**Also, if you want direct links to any of the research I talk about, please pm me directly! I am happy to share!**_

MPOV

Maura dropped the pile of books she was carrying on her countertop. She had stopped at the bookstore on her way home picking up everything she could find on her new research topic. She grabbed her laptop, plugged herself in and sat down with a glass of water and some fruit; her customary setup for when she would be spending hours pouring over research material. She stared at the screen, the familiar backdrop staring back at her. Opening up Safari, she hesitated at the search screen, trying to figure out what search term to enter. Typing in '_homosexual_' she pushed enter and was relieved to find mainly scholastic resources enter the screen. Halfway through the page she clicked on one decisively, 'Webster's Dictionary' website.

She read the first definition out-loud "relating to or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex". Ok, so far so good, nothing surprising there. Scanning the page, she started clicking through links allowing one source to lead her to another. Staying mainly on what she considered academic resources, she finally found an article in a scientific journal that seemed to resonate with her. "Recognizing that a large portion of population is not completely heterosexual or homosexual and people can experience both heterosexual and homosexual behavior and psychic responses" She continued to dig through Kinsey's research, her mind working overtime at the research that was laid out before her.

Males do not represent two discrete populations, heterosexual and homosexual. The world is not to be divided into sheep and goats. Not all things are black nor all things white... The living world is a continuum in each and every one of its aspects. The sooner we learn this concerning human sexual behavior, the sooner we shall reach a sound understanding of the realities of sex.—Kinsey et al.

She browsed through the continuum and its explanations, reading through the various self selected responses. She found herself relating to some aspects of it more than others wavering between moments of self reflection and awareness. Her protective response was to put herself in the 0 category decidedly stating she was strictly heterosexual. But as an academic, she knew better. She knew that growing up she fit closer to 2 or 3, and as of late it feels like she might as well count herself as predominantly homosexual. Or rather, predominantly Jane. She continued to pour over materiel digging into Weinrich and Klien's explanation and scales for homosexuality.

It was such an eloquent explanation to what she was experiencing. What she had always experienced but refused to acknowledge. Not until Jane dragged it out of her body kicking and screaming. Maura sat back looking at the information laid out before her. It didn't bother her necessarily, she was open to scientific analysis and information.

She had always been aware of lesbians. But they were some mysterious thing that existed in the far recesses of the world, never actually coming into contact with one. They were never spoken of in her family. It was expected that she would become educated, would marry someone rich her mother approved of, and would spend her days planning social events and gossiping about her so called friends wasting her education, her brilliant yet frustrating mind. She hated that life, she preferred to work hard for what she had, feeling she made an impact on the world with her work. She ostsaiously refused to stop progressing her career, focusing her energy's into the dead that seemed to understand her better than the living. It made her mother angry and disappointed, which wasn't hard to do considering she hardly spent any time with her to begin with,. She always worked hard to make her mother happy, perpetually seeking her approval, but usually failing miserably in the process.

She just knew growing up that there was something uncomfortable with the expectation that was set for her. She would date the expected men, but it was far to easy to find a flaw with them and discard them. She would shift threw relationships easily, always believing she would eventually find the right man to connect with, who would understand her passion for her work. Who would understand her quirks and not tell her she would grow out of it, or she needed to stop acting like some commoner and act like a lady. Who's body would cause passion and lust to come pouring out of her like water from a faucet.

She ticked off all the woman she had been attracted to in her life, counting more woman than men. Could it be? How could she have missed such an important theory? No, she must be reaching, she couldn't be. She felt her earth shift beneath her and the all too familiar roar in her ears, she couldn't even lie to herself. Maura thought back through sleepovers spent looking for a reason for contact with her friend. Through the anxious feeling of wanting to spend time with them, but unsure why. Her feelings of jealousy when they had boyfriends, thinking about kissing them instead of whatever boy she was supposed to think about. She knew she was different, but something about this epiphany filled her with fear and comfort. She both dreaded the realization and felt she could finally breath.

Having gone through most of the books, and her fill of the computer, she was feeling reasonably comfortable and confident in what she was finding. It was nothing outrageous, she could almost understand and even explain most of what was happening to her. A looming question remained though, one that has been nagging her since the beginning. Was she a lesbian? Fighting an attraction to all woman as a whole? To the female aspect of the homosapien species, the softer, gentler, more complex sex? Or was she just attracted to Jane Rizzoli, who fit all the boxes she would want in a potential mate. Strong, brilliantly smart, beautiful, sexy. Incredibly sexy. So sexy. Maura allowed herself a moment to reflect on what happened in the gym. The way Jane moved her body, the way she could cause her heart to palpitate with just her physical presence. The way her body responded to her stretching, elongating itself on the floor showing every inch of her flexibility and strength in her muscles. Her mind immediately going to a different scenario. Where she and Jane were doing something...different on the floor.

She knew she had to find out more. More about herself, about her own physical reaction to the detectives body, more about who she was and why she was responding in such a way to her best friend. She decided to enter a new, different search term.

She hesitantly typed 'Lesbian', caressing the enter button for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she pushed enter and almost immediately shut the laptop closed. Looking around her apartment embarrassed as if someone else might be watching her, judging her and her research. She inhaled deeply willing her body to relax and started quickly scrolling through the page. It wasn't the links that elicited a reaction from her, it was the images. Of woman kissing other woman, hugging, naked woman sprawled on top of each other in soft poses. In her mind she could hear the groans echo through her, feel the heat radiate from their bodies as they moved in time together, grinding their bodies in motion.Oh God. What was she thinking? She needed to refocus, she couldn't let herself get distracted. No matter how sensual the pictures were, or how much her body longed for their touch.

She knew what the next step was in evaluating her theory. She had done the proper research, come up with a hypothesis. A small shiver ran through her body as she realized her next step. She knew what she had to do to conclusively obtain an answer. She closed her laptop and stood up resounding herself to the inevitable solution. Maura picked up a book "Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity"' and sauntered off towards her room thinking about her next step. She had to test it out. She had to confirm she was in fact a lesbian, she had to sleep with a woman. But not just any woman. She wanted, no, she needed to have Jane Rizzoli.


	9. Chapter 9

_Ok, breath, relax. I know what your thinking, and trust me, I'm not a fan of this Rebecca woman either, but lets all let it play out and see what happens, shall we? :) Please hold off on the pitch forks and the burning, otherwise we will never find out what happens!_

_As usual, I own nothing, I just enjoy the thrill of winding you up utilizing our favorite characters in the process! _

_If you feel moved to comment, please do! _

JPOV

Jane paced impatiently, holding her phone in her hand as she checked it yet again after feeling another phantom vibration. It has been almost two days since she had seen Maura in the gym and she still hadn't pieced together everything that happened. She didn't understand her reaction, and the more she tried to rationalize it the crazier it was driving her. She could hardly concentrate on her two cases, letting Korsak take the lead on them which automatically tipped him off that something was wrong. She never relented, and she never gave up control. Which is what she felt she was giving up with Maura. She didn't like feeling like she did not have the upper hand, and although Maura may not realize It, all she had to do was smile and Jane would melt. She could hardly be expected to say no to the honey blond M.E. Not with her gentle eyes and luscious lips.

She instead had to resolve herself to having spent the previous week interacting with the M.E. through a blind wall, or worst, other people. Jane was frustrated and it showed as she dropped into her chair and stared at the phone in her hand. Now, she was hoping her phone would ring, but knowing it would be the wrong woman on the line. How did she get herself into this mess?

Ah yes, she had thought it would be a great idea to make Maura jealous by flirting with another woman. The problem is that the stranger flirted back. And now she is waiting to be picked up by this incredibly intimidating woman for a date. Or a not date.

"How in the world do you get yourself in this mess Rizzoli?" she mumbled frustrated.

"You know talking to yourself is a tell tale sign of a psychosis". Startled, Jane looked up to find Maura leaning against the door frame her arms folded across her chest, looking stunning.

"Hey! Look who decided to come out from the basement, I was beginning to think you got lost down there" Jane's breath was caught in her throat at the sight of Maura. She was dressed in a magenta dress that ended a little too far from her knee, showing her exquisite chest, and some insanely high heels that caused her legs to look far too good for Jane's heart to handle.

"I thought we could..hang out tonight? I got some wine and cheese, and I didn't put it in the dead fridge" Her smile was too much for Jane, who immediately felt pangs of guilt course through her.

"I have a date!" She blurted out a little too loudly and a little too quickly. She misread Maura's confused face and continued, "well not a date date, more like a get together. I am meeting someone. Tonight."

"A date? A social or romantic involvement or engagement?" Maura responded automatically, a perplexed look wrapped her face.

"Yes. I mean, I _am_ meeting someone so its social, I think. It could be a date, or not, I don't know." Jane was babbling now, she could feel her face flush red again. Why did Maura get her so tongue tied!

"Oh, thats...No! Thats fine! You don't have to explain." Maura blanched pulling herself from her leaning position and standing. "Maybe later then?" She turned to leave as Jane stood up. She ran into Rebecca who barely stopped herself from running her over.

"Alright!." Rebecca greeted the group briskly nodding at each one. She turned her attention squarely to Jane "I'll be ready in about 10, will you?"

Everyone's attention turned squarely on Jane as the pieces clicked into place. "Uh, yeah. No problem Doc." Korsak smirked at the situation Jane was in. He had no idea who this person was, but he loved seeing Jane squirm.

"Brilliant! Meet you outside then." She turned on her statement heading toward the elevator where she came from. Jane felt her stomach churn at the sound of her melodic voice. Something about accents always got to her, and her accent in particular made her body and mind buzz.

"So Jane...", Korsak trailed off enjoying the moment far too much.

Jane gave him her patented death glare while he suppressed a laugh. "You know, Homosexual behavior is found amongst social birds and mammals, particularly sea mammals and primates." Maura added matter of factly, "Its prevalent in over 450 species and has been documented in 5000 species."

"Thank you Jane Goodall" Jane responded grabbing her items. All she wanted to do was escape this situation, as quickly as possible.

"Actually, Jane Goodall did study chimpanzee and they do exhibit homosexual behavior!" Maura chimed in proudly.

"How the hell do you know all this stuff?" Jane stopped in front of Maura watching her face closely. She noticed a light blush appear on the doctors face. "You know what, never mind." Maura opened her mouth to respond, but Jane stopped her almost afraid to find out the answer.

Suddenly her phone vibrated her hand. She Jumped at the surprise action and almost dropped it as she tried to answer the call. "Rizzoli. Yes I always answer my phone this way. Abrupt? What? No...I...Yes. ok." She hung up the phone, adrenaline bounding through her body making her pulse race. What was with her? Why was she reacting this way? "_Get it together Rizzol_i" she thought to herself more forcefully. She grabbed her leather jacket and walked out the door to meet her date outside leaving Maura and Korsak to speculate together over what just transpired.

Jane raised her eyebrows at the sight of her date pulling up in a dark grey Honda CBR 1100XX, wearing a black leather outfit that accentuate her feminine figure through bright orange markings strategically placed. _Not what she was wearing a minute ago, _Jane thought. Rebecca lifted the helmet off her head and smiled at Jane who's heart caught in her throat at the full sight of the doctor straddling the motorcycle in between her legs. Jane's eyes traveled up and down the length of her body, noticing how her back arched as she sat up. Jane's eyes traveled to the place where Rebecca met the bike and how she enveloped the seat, causing to wish she was the bike for a brief moment.

Jane cleared her throat and forced herself to swallow "I didn't imagine you to arrive on a crotchrocket, that doesn't seem very...doctor like".

"I like to live on the edge detective, besides, you should know better than to judge a book by its cover." She purred back, handing Jane a similar helmet. "Who I am by day has nothing to do with how I play by night."

"Great, helmet hair on a first date" Jane scoffed as she pulled the helmet over her head and carefully sat behind the doctor trying to give as much space between their bodies as possible. Without hesitating, Rebecca reached back with one hand and pulled Jane closer. Jane gasped at the forceful pull and the sudden feeling of their bodies pressed together. She hardly had time to get her bearings together when the engine started and the motor revved. The feeling of the powerful engine between her legs resonated throughout her entire body especially between her thighs, she stifled a groan by biting her lip at the feel of the vibration to her already sensitive area. They peeled out of the parking lot taking advantage of the incredibly fast engine. Jane's mind blurred as she saw familiarity whiz by at incredible speed. She held on tight as the bike was expertly maneuvered through the streets.

Finally hitting a light, Jane pushed herself off the woman for a moment allowing herself a chance to breath. Rebecca had different plans however reaching with both hands to her waist, gently pulling Jane forward and caressing her waist down to her backside. Jane felt herself slide forward in the seat, not fighting the feeling at all. She allowed herself to be maneuvered by the expert hands that held her up, afraid of tumbling them both over from the bike. As Jane's pelvis reached Rebecca's seat she could feel the doctor roll her hips forward pushing herself into Jane. Jane froze for a moment at the feeling of their hips rolling together, the feel of herself gliding against the doctor was almost too much, "Fuck!" Jane moaned as the doctor continued to grind against her.

Her mouth open as she tried to remember how to breath, Jane heard a small laugh and almost knocked her helmet against Rebecca's. "I forgot to tell you Detective" Rebecca's voice invaded her mind startling Jane even more. "The helmets have an intercom built in, I can hear everything you say. Or rather, I can hear everything you moan", she added with what Jane was sure was a smirk. The light turned green before Jane could respond and once again she found herself holding onto the doctors waist, hardly having a chance to catch her breath. They pulled off to a small parking lot where they finally came to a stop. Rebecca did not shut off the engine, rather she pulled out of her jacket a small black silk handkerchief that she turned and handed to Jane.

"Put this on Detective" as she pulled her helmet off, helping Jane with hers.

"I'm not cold", was all Jane could get out, confused as to why she would giver her something like this now.

"Don't be daft, I meant around your eyes" she replied with a smile as she reached to tied it around her head.

Jane froze, "Why?" She didn't like the thought of not being able to see where she was going or what was happening, it was bad enough she let her drive, but the thought of having her eyes covered, it was too much.

"Relax, I just want it to be a surprise when we get there. I promise, your safe." The sincerity in her voice caught Jane off guard. She begrudgingly allowed her to softly tie the soft silk around her head blocking most of her eye sight. She had tied it loose however allowing Jane to see more than she had probably wanted to. She helped Jane put her helmet back on, and a few seconds later they were off again, at a decidedly slower pace than before.

They rode for a few more minutes before Jane felt the bike stop and turn off. She reclined back tense and waiting. She could feel Rebecca kick the stand down and slide off the bike. She was guided to the top of the bike and sat on the very edge of the seat, a moment later her helmet was off and she could hear the sounds of crickets and a frog or two in the distance. Fighting the urge to rip the covering off, she strained to hear what Rebecca was up to. It wasn't long before she felt her slide back on the bike and was handed a small glass.

"Take it off" came the soft voice. Something in the way she purred the words caused Jane to hesitate. Did she mean the silk blindfold, or something else? Jane pulled the makeshift blind fold off and gasped at the sight before her. They were at the edge of a small lagoon in a small clearing, totally isolated by rows of shrubs, trees, and wild flowers. The light of the slowly setting sun on the other side of the water created a gentle golden glow on everything it touched. Before her sat Rebecca straddling the bike facing her holding a similar glass as the one Jane held in one hand, and a bottle of wine in the other. She looked radiant, with the glow of the sun making her hair appear on fire and her skin glow against the black leather. Jane couldn't help but lick her lips at the delicious sight that lay before her. She didn't say a word, allowing Jane to take everything in, relishing the hunger in Jane's eyes as they met her own.

"A toast Detective?" She offered the wine, giving Jane a moment to come to her senses and slowly poured a bit in her glass as well as her own.

"To what exactly?" Jane asked, raising an eyebrow in response.

"To setting sunsets and Aussie kiss's of course." Rebecca replied winking. Jane had no idea what she meant, but it didn't matter. She was totally enraptured with the woman before her listening intently for over an hour as she described her life. Responding appropriately with a question or a statement of her own. They could have talked about nothing and Jane would have been enthralled, listening to the tones and bells of her dates voice. They talked as the sun set, quieting only for a moment as the last bit of rays disappeared over the horizon leaving them bathed in the soft ember glow of the waning sunlight.

Jane stole a glance as the woman reclined against the handlebars of the bike in front of her. She was bewitching, wrapped in leather, her curves highlighted and emphasized by the outfit. She watched her, getting lost in the details of the sharp nose, and her hair full of copper and gold flecks, her full pink lips parted slightly as she watched the last rays disappear. Sensing Jane watch her, she turned and met her eyes full on, not wavering for a moment.

"So, how does this work?" She asked, leaning back on her elbows, their knees touching.

"How does what work?" came the quizzical reply.

"Are you allowed to date your patients?" Jane asked forcefully, wanting to know what boundaries, if any, existed.

"That would be a conflict of interest, now wouldn't it?" Came the reply, "However, for one to be considered a patient, certain...criteria..has to be met."

"Oh?" Jane's curiosity was triggered. "And do I...meet that criteria?"

Rebecca gave her a thoughtful look, appearing to weight her response. She licked her lips as she replied, "No, not unless you count this as our first session."

Jane's body itched with her craving, her skin burned with the desire to be touched. She had spent so much time yearning for Maura, that she couldn't fight her lust for the woman in front of her. She slid down her seat meeting Rebecca who gasped at the sudden movement from the detective. Jane pulled Rebecca's legs over her own causing her core to grind against her pelvis. "I'd rather not waste such a perfect sunset on a silly little thing like a session" Jane purred pulling Rebecca closer, causing her to groan and expose her neck. The view and feeling of her grinding on top of her drove Jane's senses wild. Her lips reached for her exposed neck and slowly, softly started a trail of kisses leading up to her chin. "Unless you know of some therapy to help me deal with this strange hunger I suddenly have."

Rebecca moaned in Jane's ear, clearly pleased with her impulse. "I think..." She gasped between groans, "we could come up with something". She reached for Jane's mouth with her own. Her lust apparent as their lips touched. Jane kissed her back with force, allowing her to guide her own body to grind against opened her mouth softly, inviting the woman's tongue to invade her, softly seeking her out as she groaned again, this time in her mouth.

Jane explored her body with her hands, pulling softly on the zipper of her leather jacket, then pulling it off her body completely. Softly running her hands against Rebecca's breasts, feeling her hard nipples under her palm she felt her shift on top of her.

"Oh Detective!" was the moaned response from Rebecca, who increased the speed and ferocity of her grinding against Jane. Jane in response grabbed her ass, pulling her closer, feeling her hips move against her own throbbing wet core. She groaned back as Rebecca searched for her own breasts and softly pinched the nipples sending a shiver down her body at the feel of a woman's hand against her breast.

Jane's mind raced, she wanted this; to feel the soft body moving with her, she wanted more. But something nagged at the recesses of her mind. She ached for contact, but as Rebecca slid her own jacket off her, she couldn't shake the feeling from within her. Her gut was talking to her, telling her something wasn't right, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

"Ooh Fuck!" Rebecca's cry of ecstasy thrust Jane out of her own head and into the present. Jane reached again for her neck and began to kiss and suck at her as she pulled at Jane's body. Their lips met again, pulling them into a deep long kiss as they searched each others mouths with their tongues.

Suddenly Rebecca pulled back, her chest heaving in response to their kissing. Jane felt bewildered at what was happening, but she retained control as usual, slowly grinding at the woman's core. Watching as her eyes rolled slightly into the back of her head at the exquisite feeling.

"You seem to be pretty good at this", she breathed out.

Jane smiled, she had no idea what she was doing but was instead merely running on instinct. Instinct told her that she would have her way with this woman by the end of the night. They came together again, the force causing the bike to wobble and shake underneath them. Jane pulled at Rebecca's top freeing her breasts which glowed in the moonlight. She let out a happy sign and felt herself being pulled in. A loud groan rattled the air as Jane sucked on her erect nipple and toyed with the other breast with her free hand. The feel of this woman's body, grinding and groaning beneath her touch caused Jane's head to spin as she tried to keep balance on the bike.

Her senses were in overdrive at the sights and sounds of her environment invaded her, "Oooh Maur..." She stopped herself from finishing, and the abrupt realization caused her body to jerk up almost knocking them both off the bike. Lost in passion, Rebecca only heard what she needed to hear and pulled herself off the bike. She stood before Jane, bare chest glowing in the moonlight, "You want more darling?" she purred, and began to slowly unbutton her pants.

Jane panicked internally. What was she doing? Did she really just slip and almost cry out Maura's name while with another woman? She couldn't have, she had never done anything remotely close to what was happening tonight, could she really just blame it on a sensory overload? It didn't matter the reason why it happened, she had no time to rationalize her behavior tonight, Rebecca slowly slid out of her pants and beckoned Jane forward. Jane salivated at her naked body. She pulled herself off the bike and despite the fact that Jane had barely an idea of what she was doing, she pulled the naked woman towards her with force and began to kiss her while running her hands over her body. Rebecca guided one of her hands to her dripping center and softly pleaded to Jane to make her cum. Jane thrust her fingers inside of her, working on instinct. She felt Rebecca's body jerk in respond to her aggression, pulling her leg around Jane's body as she started to slide herself in and out.

"Ooh shit your good" came the breathy response causing a gleeful smile to spread across Jane's lips. She hunched her body over and sucked forcefully on a nipple, getting a loud reaction out of Rebecca whose legs started to shake at the force of Jane's actions. Jane roughly entered and exited her, enjoying the feeling of power and control she had over this woman. Knowing full well that she was the one causing her to pant and moan in excitement. It was exhilarating. More so than being with any man. To know that it was her mouth and her hands that were causing such delirious pleasure to happen to such a beautiful woman caused her own knees to nearly buckle.

Jane pulled her hands out and turned Rebecca over who gave herself to Jane's every whim. Jane roughly pushed her forward towards the motorcycle bending her at the waist. Rebecca willingly bent over and spread her legs for Jane, hoping to be reading the detectives mind. Jane was frustrated and turned on. She didn't want to be gentle, she wanted to be in control, directing when and how this woman would come, much like she would direct any man she slept with.

Rebecca arched her back and shook her body in front of Jane, as if taunting her. "Spank me Detective. Then fuck me" She purred out panting. Jane hesitated, afraid she wouldn't hold back, but then let her hand spank her. She didn't give a fuck what happened tonight. She refused to allow herself to think beyond the moment she was in as she spanked her again with one hand, while sliding herself in with the other. Rebecca let out a loud gasp and then a long moan at the feel of Jane inside her. This only heightened Jane's excitement as she pushed herself in deeper feeling the walls constrict as her fingers brushed past her clit and delve deeper inside.

"Yess! OOooh God Yes!" Rebecca heaved out the words as her body shook. Jane could feel her coming as smiled at herself, proud of the work she had done. She pulled herself out a little to quickly causing Rebecca to yelp softly in pain. She stood back and allowed the woman to collect herself, slowly standing up and shivering in the night air.

Rebecca turned to Jane, face flushed, chest rising with her soft pants as she tried to regain composure. "That was...wow" was all she could get out. Jane suddenly felt uncomfortable at her actions. She felt guilty for some reason and the urge to run hit her hard. She took some deep controlled breaths as the woman studied her. "You ok?" A look of concern crossed her face. Jane couldn't reply, she had no idea if she was ok, or why she suddenly felt like she had done something wrong. Rebecca's face changed suddenly as a realization hit her, "Was this...your first time Detective? With a woman I mean?"

Jane's face flushed. "No, I...well sort of...at least, I've never fucked someone over a bike before." Jane's response was almost correct. She had an encounter or two with friends at sleep overs, grinding softly as they 'cuddled', or once with her roommate when Jane bolding let her hands explore beneath the elastic band of her pajamas. But she had never been fully naked with a woman, she had never fucked a woman until she came, and she had never let a woman fuck her in return. Rebecca nodded as if reading through Jane's mind on a scroll. She walked over to the detective as if hardly noticing her own vulnerability in the middle of the field.

"I would like to return the favor Detective" She purred into Jane's ear. "If you would let me." Jane's body responded on its own, pulling her into a deep kiss. Her center throbbed with excitement and she knew she was dripping wet. Yet she couldn't allow herself to let down her guard and fully enjoy the moment. Something was holding her back.

"I think we should head back." The words were out of Jane's mouth before she even rationalized them. Did she want to head back? No, she was sexually frustrated and wanted freedom from the desire that was locked inside her. But not here, not now. Her gut responding stronger than the rest of her body, telling her it was time to go. Rebecca nodded and without a word pulled herself back together starting with her pants. Jane stopped her as she went to zipper her jacket up again, slowly dragging her hand up from her abdomen to her breast, letting it slowly linger over her nipple. Rebecca let out a content sigh, allowing Jane full access to her body once more. Jane pulled her nipple back into her mouth roughly, needing to feel it on her tongue once more, needing to hear the moan escape Rebecca's lips once again. She sucked hard, feeling the pressure of her hand against the back of her head, pushing her toward her as if to force Jane through her body. Finally Jane pulled back, gasping for air, both their face's flush with lust.

Jane pulled the zipper up, holding on to her shirt and feeling another tug in her groin at the realization that all Rebecca had on was her leather suit. Her shirt and panties in her hand. Rebecca got on her bike, motioning for Jane to join her, started the engine letting it rev again, enjoying the sound of Jane's grown a the vibration it caused against her engorged center. Jane moaned again, letting her mind escape her and imagining it was Maura sitting in front of her causing her body to vibrate with intense longing. "Fuck! Maura" she gasped out as the engine revved again against her, practically sending her over the edge. The sound lost to the loudness of the engine, Jane surprised herself with how clear and direct her yearning came out. Jane felt an uncontrolable urge to exert her dominance again. She reached for the zipper of the jacket again, pulling it down in a slow taunt as Rebecca leaned back and hingrily inserted her tongue in her mouth. It took Jane all of 5 seconds to find her other hand sliding underneath the unbuttoned leather pants. Rebecca groaned in her mouth as she shimmed the pants lower and spread her legs giving Jane full access to her already throbbing core. Jane rotated her finger around her clit feeling Rebecca move her body in response. She wanted to feel control over herself again, erase the yearning that she had jusr voiced and dominate this woman into a sublime submission. She pinched the nipple causing Rebecca to let out a sharp moan, Jane felt her blood cursing through her veins, could feel the woman writhing in exstacy on top of her, begging her not to stop. She plunged her fingers inside her again, allowing her hand to slide against the engorged bulb, causing Rebecca to scream out "OOoooh God! Yes! Fuck!" Jane could feel her grinding against her hand, her own wetness growing with the growing screams of pleasure eminating from the woman's mouth. "Don't...Stop..." came the shattered statement broken apart by the need for breath that seemed to elude her as Jane plunged deeper and harder into her core. It was exhilerating, feeling her grind against her hand, supressing a moan, writhing her body around her hands, letting her control every aspect of what was happening. "Detective!" she screamed as she climaxed, her body rigid with the intense sensation escalating and bringing her down. Jane didn't want to remove her hand, afraid of destroying the now purring kitten that lay in her arms. After a moment, she slid her fingers out causing a small gasp at the sensation of movement from Rebecca. She helped zip up her jacket and waited for her to return her breathing back to normal. She smiled at Jane, causing a slight flutter in her stomach. She could feel her aching wetness, and knew that she was in trouble when the woman returned her a deep kiss. Just as suddenly as they had started, the kickstand was kicked up and they took off, heading back to the precinct with Jane's mind flying as quickly as they soared through the streets.


	10. Chapter 10

_**I just want to apologize for the sloppy work of the last chapter. I wrote most of it on my ipad and didn't do my usual thorough read through to make sure I corrected as many mistakes as I can. **_

_**Anyway, if your still with me! THANKS for sticking around, and I promise to make up for last chapter in the next few upcoming! Rizzles not to far away! **_

MPOV

Maura sat hunched over at her desk, scrutinizing some small pieces of hair that were recovered off one of the male victims body. She was trying to concentrate on the task at hand, but she couldn't stop thinking about Jane. She had spent an hour picking out the perfect dress, agonizing over shoes, hair, and makeup; all to impress someone who had a date. A date! How could she have been so stupid, so blind? Here was this amazingly smart beautiful woman, and she was naive enough to think she would be interested in her. She knew better than to get her expectations up when it came to dating, why should it be any different with a woman? She sighed, dropping the bulb from the root of the hair again.

She needed to focus, and thinking about Jane was not helping her focus. She had come in with the intent to somehow woo Jane. She had terminated her research sometime around 2 or 3 in the morning, giving in to the fact that she couldn't ignore what the data was pointing to. She had an idea, having spent the rest of the night carefully crafting it. She was a planner, and she had everything written out and organized, ready for almost anything Jane Rizzoli could throw at her. Everything but Jane Rizzoli and her date.

Maura looked up at the sound of Jane and couldn't stop herself from smiling as Jane entered her office, "Your back early." She looked at her watch as Jane sauntered into the room.

"Yeah, well, there wasn't much left to talk about." Jane replied, Maura noticed her body shiver.

"So..."Maura trailed, hesitation in her voice. "Who is this mystery woman?"

"She is the woman who is going to evaluate me and Korsak." Jane's matter of fact response caught Maura by surprise.

"Korsak and I" Maura responded automatically, she hated when people didn't follow basic grammar rules. "Evaluate?"

"Yeah, she's a shrink from England who is going to make sure _Korsak and I" _Jane stressed the words, "are still ok to be partners." Jane rubbed her hands absentmindedly, pacing the length of the room. Maura recognized when she was agitated before she even did.

It hit Maura suddenly what Jane was saying, "Evaluate? Don't you mean analyze? To examine methodically and in detail the constitution or structure, typically for the purpose of explanation or interpretation?"

Jane stopped and smiled. She was the only person Maura knew loved it when she got all nerdy. "ook, yes. That one. What's the difference?"

"The difference? The difference Jane is that if she is here to conduct an investigation into your partnership with Korsak she is breaking not only the law, but morally she should not be dating someone she is investigating!" Maura came from around the desk and stood in front of Jane crossing her arms. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Calm down Maura, what's the big deal?" Jane asked rather casually eyeing her up and down. Maura suddenly was glad she had spent so much time on her wardrobe, seeing Jane's reaction made the pain the shoes caused almost worth it. She stopped herself and forced her brain to refocus.

"The big deal Jane is that this is highly unethical." Maura couldn't believe she had to explain this to Jane.

"God Maura, calm down!" Jane took a defensive step back, "Its not like I even knew it was a date, and I'm not her patient. She's supposed to talk to Korsak tomorrow, not me." she ran her hand through her hair, which always distracted Maura. Maura couldn't quite place where the agitation was coming from, perhaps it wasn't her place to question Jane and her dating choices, but she couldn't just drop this.

Maura shook her head; she couldn't believe she was hearing this. "Jane, this is not right. You can't have a relationship with your therapist!" Jane stopped at the word relationship; flush crawling up her neck to her face.

"Really?" Jane threw her hands in the air, exasperation dripping from the sarcasm in her voice. "I am not having this discussion with you Maura." Jane stood inches from her. Her eyes blazing with an intense ferocity that she had never seen in Jane before. Maura could feel the heat radiating from her body. She was so angry at Jane for being so whimsical with the law, with rules and morals, first with tricking her into breaking and entering and now dating her psychiatrist. Maura found it hard to keep her mask on, to stay clinical in her interaction with her friend.

Jane came even closer and Maura felt her legs going weak, "and who said anything about a relationship?" An edge of warning to her voice that told her she was skirting close to a reaction from Jane. Maura couldn't help herself, she knew she was pushing Jane, but there was something about her reaction. The anger snaking through her body, emanating from her eyes making her seem dangerous and somehow even more beautiful. Maura resisted the urge to kiss her, trying hard to focus on her frustration and anger at Jane's decision making.

Maura couldn't respond, her mind blank at the proximity of her friend. "You know if I didn't know better I'd think you were jealous." Jane raised an eyebrow at Maura who stopped.

Was she jealous? She had to admit, she didn't like the feeling of finding out Jane was on a date, and then finding out it was a woman! Plus, she did spend the last few hours staring haphazardly at the clock hoping to see Jane walk through her door. Jane was staring at her; her mouth partially opened still waiting for her to respond. Maura blushed wondering how long she had been lost in thought. They stared at each other for a few moments, Maura lost in Jane's eyes. She desperately wanted to read Jane's face, understand her reactions and feelings. Jane drew in a breath and for a moment Maura thought her warrior mask fell and she could see a longing and recognition in her eyes.

Jane's phone rang forcing them to break eye contact; Maura exhaled realizing she had been holding her breath. "Rizzoli. What? No. No! Ma! I'm working, I can't just. Fine!" Jane hung up her phone and put it in the holder with such force Maura had to take a step back. Jane pinched the nose of her ridge as if trying to hold back an impending migraine. She sighed, "I am so sorry for what is about to happen", Jane's shoulders slumped and a sly smile spread on her soft pink lips at Maura's bewildered look.

Maura could hardly keep up with Jane; they went from fighting one minute to Jane sounding tender and protective. Maura heard the elevator door open and Jane appeared to brace herself. Maura immediately felt tension in the air coming from the otherwise strong and held together detective, her mind reeled at the possibilities of what could be coming down the hall, how terrible must it be to cause Jane to shift her demeanor so quickly.

A short woman with light brown hair came storming into her morgue followed by a young officer who was doing his best to slow her down. "Janie!" the officer did little to hold her back. "You don't answer your phone anymore? I've been worried sick about you!"

"Jane, I'm sorry. I tried to stop her" the officer threw his hands up in the air in resignation.

"Stop me? Frankie, why would you stop me from seeing my own daughter? Who neglects me! Her mother!" Maura couldn't stop the smile from spreading her face, she had no idea what was happening but this side of Jane was so foreign to her she couldn't help but enjoy the drama enfolding before her.

"Ma! I'm working, I don't have time to answer every call!" Jane turned away from her mother, appearing to physically try and calm herself down.

"Oh! Now you can't answer any call while your working? I am not just every call Jane, I am your mother!" The woman turned to Maura who had at this point been largely ignored by all three. "Oh, hello, I'm sorry to intrude", her voice suddenly dropping an octave sounding sweet and demure. "But I bet you don't ignore your mother when she calls." She glared at Jane punctuating the statement then smiled sweetly at Maura. She could see the same expression that Jane would give her when she wanted something on her face. Two Rizzoli women turning their charms on in one room, Maura knew she was in trouble.

"Ma, this is Dr Isles, she's the head medical examiner." The dark haired young man smiled at Maura as she was introduced, "I'm Frank Rizzoli, this is our Ma, Angela."

"Jane, you never told me you had a brother." Maura was delighted at this revelation as she watched Jane's face carefully trying to read her expressions.

"I bet she didn't tell you she had a mother either." Angela muttered directly her glare at Jane.

"Ma, she knows I have a mother." Jane's exasperation was evident as she gave up trying to fight. A passive Jane, Maura couldn't stop herself from smiling, even if she wanted to.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Rizzoli." Maura offered a hand, which Angela ignored and hugged her. "Call me Angela," she offered back.

Maura was shocked at the sudden affection coming from a total stranger. She was frankly not used to anyone being affectionate towards her, having heard her nickname "Dr. Death" whispered in the halls as her career progressed she was used to people recoiling at her. This affection from the Rizzoli kin was strange and exhilarating to her, her own family never being comfortable with affection of any kind in comparison.

"Its nice to meet you…Angela" She offered meekly, not sure what the appropriate response was. Frankie offered a hand that she gratefully took. Warm hands she thought, just like Jane.

"Ma, what are you doin here anyways?" Jane asked, obviously trying to control the situation in front of Maura.

Angela ignored Jane "I am so glad to finally meet you Dr. Isles. I have heard so much about you from Janie; she did not exaggerate how gorgeous you are! My God! Are you married?"

"MA!" Jane yelled, her face turning a crimson color. So Jane talked about me, to her mother, and mentioned she thought I was pretty? Maura could feel her face matching Jane's.

"No, I'm not married, not dating." Maura added matter of factly, giving Jane a hopeful look that she appeared to miss.

"That's crazy? How could such beautiful woman not even have boyfriends?" Angela gently touched Jane's face causing Jane to turn away.

"What are you doing here?" Jane pressed.

"I was worried Jane, I haven't heard from you in a few days, and Frankie said he didn't know where you were. I brought you some dinner, I worry about the way you eat." She added, guilt dripping from the last sentence causing Jane to soften.

"I've been working Ma." Jane softly replied gingerly taking the brown bag from her mother.

"You missed family dinner tonight." Angela softly stated adding another layer of guilt.

"I was working" Jane mumbled as Maura helpfully added simultaneously, "Actually she had a date". Jane froze looking a Maura, a bewildered look in her eyes. Maura felt confused, she thought that's what her mother wanted to hear, the look on Jane's face indicated otherwise.

"A date? You had a date? Why didn't you say so?" Angela's face lit up at the idea of her daughter on a date.

"Its nothing Ma", Jane was quickly trying to usher her family out giving Frankie a desperate silent plea. "Maura and I have work to do, so I think its best you go."

Angela was not going to be distracted so easily, "Dr Isles", she evaded Jane's herding "Do you know anything about this date? Is he handsome? A doctor like you?"

Maura looked at Jane, fear and trepidation evident on her face. Jane mouthed the word 'No' to Maura. She felt her chest tighten, the familiar panic setting in as she realized she was being asked to lie. "Doctor? Yes, I believe…"

She didn't have a chance to finish her sentence as Angela broke in "Ooh Janie! A doctor!" Her mother beamed at her daughter whose face held the same horrified look as before.

"Yes, I understand she's quite successful." Maura added hoping to help the situation. Immediately she realized she made a mistake.

"We gatta go ma." Jane pulled at Maura giving her a death glare, as her mother processed what was said. Maura allowed herself to be pulled, totally confused over what was happening.

"She? What do you mean she?" Angela asked, confusion written on her face.

"What are you talking about ma?" Frankie asked, giving Jane the eye. "Come on, we gatta go, they got work to do." He ushered Angela out who had a confused look spread on her face.

"It was nice meeting you Dr Isles!" Angela yelled over her shoulder as she walked out the door. "I thought she said she?" Angela could be heard asking again in the hall. Jane pulled Maura into the M.E.'s office.

"Really Maura? Really?" Jane spat out.

"I'm sorry Jane, I thought your mother knew!" Maura softly responded trying to fully understand what just happened.

"I don't usually make it a habit of talking about my dating life to my mother Maura." Jane responded rolling her eyes.

Maura didn't respond for almost a full minute staring at Jane who refused to look at her, her face was expressionless. "You think I'm pretty?" The question was out of her mouth before her brain had time to process what she was asking. She fought the urge to clamp her hands over her mouth, ensuring she didn't ask something else.

Color crept back into Jane's face. "Really Maura?" Jane responded throwing her hands in the air as she walked away pushing the elevator button. Maura just barely made out Jane's smile as she got in and the doors closed.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Hello Everyone! Updates will be off and on for the next week as I will be traveling through Europe and will not have consistent access to a computer. I will continue to work on finishing the story, so hopefully by the time I get back I can post chapters quickly!**_

_**As usual, I just want to thank you for taking a moment to comment and share your thoughts on the story. It really helps me to know what your perceptions are of the story and that you are enjoying it! You're all amazing! **_

_**Also, I own nothing and I make nothing. I hope you like the story friends! **_

JPOV

Jane was furious. She had just walked into the precinct only to be informed that she had three suspects waiting for hours for her to come in and interrogate them. She stormed into the homicide office and immediately saw Korsak innocently reading the paper at his desk. He didn't flinch at her entrance, which only caused her fury to grow.

"What the hell Vince? You bring in three suspects and you don't bother to tell me about it?" Jane waited, her limited patience wearing even thinner than usual. Korsak slowly lowered his paper and met his partners gaze.

"I'm sorry Jane, I guess I forgot to tell you some important details about what's happening." He was hiding a smirk in an attempt to mask his hurt, but not well.

Oh shit Vince. Really? This is how we deal with things now?" Rizzoli softened her voice, knowing she had made a mistake, but refusing to apologize.

Vince paused appearing to weight his response. "You could have told me you know. I would have understood."

Jane sat on the edge of her desk, "what's there to tell? How did your meeting go anyway?"

"What's there to tell? All of a sudden you're dating a woman! And to top it off, you're sleeping with the shrink who is going to dictate our future together!" Korsak spit out, taking a moment to collect himself. Jane could tell he was trying to keep his voice down, "and for your information, it went pretty well. I think I might have charmed her!" Vince smiled signaling to Jane that he was about to drone on. "We talked about my pets, my hobbies, moving up to the career ladder..."

"Later that same day!" Jane sarcastically growled out. She didn't have the time or the patience to deal with a moody partner. "And who said anything about sleeping together? Huh? Just get to the point Vince."

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I boring you?" He postured, showing his hurt again. "Guess you don't want to hear about how much we talked about you and Dr. Isles." He had the upper hand again and he knew it, Jane perked up at the sound of her and Maura's name together.

"Maura and me? Why would you be talking about us?" Jane asked trying her best to sound nonchalant, but failing.

"Maura and I" He correct in his best Maura impression. "She asked me who else you were close to, I told her you and the doc have grown pretty close lately." He shrugged.

Jane leaned back, trying to figure out what all this meant. She hadn't had much time to process what had happened on her date with Rebecca, and she had yet to see her either. Truthfully, she was hoping to not have to deal with the implications of dating her. She had already canceled her appointment with the doctor, afraid of losing control with her again if they were left alone. Suddenly, Korsak was smiling at someone behind her. Rebecca appeared at the door, smiling shyly at Jane.

"Detective Rizzoli" She purred out causing Vince to roll his eyes. It wasn't the first time he had seen a woman lose her shit around Jane. "I noticed you canceled our session today. Have you thought about when you would like to reschedule with me?" She was dangerously close to Jane who fought off the memories of their date, of the feel of the woman grinding and groaning on top of Jane.

"Uh, yeah, sorry I just thought…" She trailed off, not sure how to continue the conversation without giving to much away and in front of her partner.

"hmm, perhaps tomorrow then?" Rebecca raised an eyebrow at Jane, smirking. She wasn't giving up and Jane knew it would raise greater suspicion to not attend the session. "I have some background research to do in the meantime." She added as she turned to leave. Why was she always doing that?

Korsak stood up laughing seeing his partner blush and gawk as the woman walked away. "Come on Jane, we've kept these guys on ice long enough." Jane slowly followed still trying to figure out what was happening in her own life.

MPOV

Maura heaved another box onto her desk sighing happily as she looked around her office. She had spent most of the night obsessively organizing her office. When the world around her ceased to make sense, nothing calmed Maura more than to spend the day cleaning and organizing her life. It provided a sense of control and function that nothing else could replace. After Jane had left her, she looked around and was embarrassed by the state of the room. She had spent little time in it, largely ignoring the need to do anything with the mostly bare room. She gazed at the shelves she had finished putting together early this morning happy with the way her collection of shells and specimens were organized.

She was reaching into her last box when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned to find Rebecca staring at her with a strange expression on her face.

"Lovely office. Dr Isles is it?" she asked extending her hand. She was trying to mask her face, but Maura could read her far easier than most people.

"Yes, and you are?" Oh, Maura knew who she was, but she wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing how much her existence in the precinct had upset her carefully laid out plans.

"Doctor Clark, but I prefer Doctor Rebecca." she shook Maura's hand.

"Doctor Rebecca? You know Clark comes from the word 'clerec' meaning scribe or priest, it's ultimately from the latin word 'clericus'." Maura watched as a bemused expression formed over Rebecca's face. She needed to quit doing that.

"I see. Well, I don't usually share name history's on a first encounter. I was wondering if you had a moment doctor?" she smiled at Maura, but she could read through her masked expression and saw small traces of disdain which surprised her. Maura turned giving her her full attention and nodded. "I am here on request from the captain to evaluate detective Rizzoli and detective Korsaks partnership. I understand that you and detective Rizzoli have grown rather close since your arrival?" She checked a manila folder that she was holding appearing to verify information.

Maura's eyebrow went up, both at the statement and the unstated implication. She could read on the woman's face small traces of jealousy and insecurity. Maura had years of experience playing chess, and she knew that she would have to plan her moves out as carefully as the woman standing in front of her was. "Yes, I would say we have...gotten to know each other pretty well." _Knight to D4_ she thought.

Rebecca looked up sharply at Maura's statement. Maura knew she was implying more, but she couldn't help herself. She did feel a stronger connection to Jane than she had ever felt with anyone else, and she cherished their time together fiercely. "we spend a lot of time together...alone."

"I see. Um, and what do you know of her personal life?" Rebecca asked looking down again. Maura couldn't read her expression well enough to decide if she was asking from a clinical or personal perspective.

"Well, let's see. She devotes everything to her job. She's incredibly dedicated and amazing at what she does, you would be hard pressed to find someone with the level of tenacity, observation skills, and overarching ability to stop the bad guys." Maura finished with a flourish, smiling at the thought of Jane.

"Yes, I understand she's quite good at her job, but what does she do on her personal time? Away from the job?" Rebecca asked again, clearly annoyed.

Maura thought for a moment. Since she had met Jane, they had spent almost all their on-call time together. They had yet however, spent time outside of work. So besides the hours of intimate conversation at a crime scene or in the basement, Maura had no real idea of what Jane did.

The pause was long enough for Rebecca to infer an answer, "so you don't know her that well?" she asked with a smile spreading across her ruby red lips. _She's moved her Bishop to E1_, Maura thought.

_Oh no she did not! _Maura's mind screamed, she envisioned the chess board in her mind, knowing her opponent was a better player than she had expected. "Not as well as I understand you are getting to know her Dr Clark." Maura responded coolly, letting her anger answer for her. While the smile stayed on Rebecca's lips, Maura noticed her nostrils flare in anger at her response. _Queen to E1, _Maura thought, _Check._

Rebecca walked towards Maura's brand new couches and sat down, much to Maura's chagrin. _Great, now I have to get rid of that seat. _Was all she could think of, not noticing the woman pull out second file from underneath the first. "I understand you moved up rather quickly to this role Dr Isles?"

"is that my personnel file?" Maura couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Oh this Dr? Yes, this is your file." she waved the sentence off in the air, only irking Maura more.

"I wasn't aware you had access to everyone's file? Or that I was also under investigation." Maura watched as she wrote something down in the file, ignoring the question for a brief moment.

"I have access to everyone's file, and as long as I am investigating Detectives Rizzoli and Korzak, I will be going through everyone who is close to them to quantify if they are in fact a liability for Boston Police. As short as that list now appears to be."

Rebecca knew where and how to dig at Maura, who's mind was now fully invested in the game. "Is there anything else that you need then Dr Clark, I would like to finish up here and head home."

"Yes, I do have one more question. You appear to...care about detective Rizzoli. Do you think she is safe with a partner who is so close to retirement like Detective Korsak?" _She's moved her Bishop and taken my queen._

Maura couldn't believe the question, she searched for a way to answer without lying. Of course she worried about Jane's safety, and she knew that Korsak would take a bullet for Jane any day, but that didn't stop the thoughts from intruding that perhaps Jane should have a younger partner, someone who physically was not as tired as Korsak was. "I think Vince and Jane work phenomenally together, they have an understanding and a relationship that works well for them."

Rebecca peered at her for a moment, planning her response. "so you agree that Detective Rizzoli would be safer with a change in partnership?"

Maura couldn't respond, did she say that? Imply that? She opened her mouth to speak, but the damage was done. "I want Jane safe." was all the came out. Feeling like she was betraying her only friend.

"Thank you Doctor, that will be all I need from you. I will be meeting with detective Rizzoli tomorrow," Rebecca stood and came closer to Maura, punctuating the next point, "and perhaps for a few weeks after. We will be spending a lot more intimate, private time together,if things go as planned." Rebecca smiled wickedly at Maura's reaction enjoying the moment, then turned to leave.

Suddenly it hit Maura, something had been off about the entire interaction. She was so thrown off by the conversation she had missed it until now. "Doctor Clark?" Rebecca paused at the doorway of her office, sighing and reluctantly turning halfway to face Maura. "Why do you call her detective and not Jane?" She thought it was strange that she was dating someone who's first name she couldn't even utter. _Knight to E2, your move Rebecca._

Rebecca blanched, appearing to make the same connection that Maura was making, her face flushing under the embarrassment and weight of the question. "she, she never gave me permission to call her anything else." was the quiet response. Rebecca turned to leave hurriedly, missing the huge grin that had appeared on Maura's face. _Check mate. _Was all she thought.


	12. Chapter 12

_Sorry for the delay in posting chapters. I have the next few almost done and ready to go, so hopefully things should speed up a bit as I finalize and post them! Hope everyone is having a great week! Thoughts and comments always appreciated!_

JPOV

Jane stepped off the elevator with a huge grin on her face. She was having an amazing day. She had finally finished interviewing all three suspects over two days, and got two of them to turn on each other. By the end of her shift she had effectively gotten a warrant to search the home where she knew a secret room was, thanks to the time Maura and she had spent there.

They each offered that the owners did not know about the secret storage area that had some priceless documents from the origination of Boston and the house in it. One of them offered that they found it on accident during the assessment of the house so they had decided to purchase it under secret at a feverishly low price knowing they would only quadruple their money once they sold the documents. But the owners had changed their mind about selling it leaving them to scramble for a way to obtain the documents. Since they had already signed most of the paperwork to sell it, they planned on forging the documents to ensure they would receive not only an enormous commission, but also effectively quadrupled their money because by benefiting from their deaths. She knew that it was only a matter of minutes before Korsak would file the paperwork to arrest both of them and charge them with murder and a slew of other charges. The problem for them was that the documents were gone, one of them had already stolen the artifacts and hit it away from the others, leaving them to point the fingers at each other in anger. She couldn't wait to share the news with Maura, who she knew would revel in the excitement with Jane in her own way.

She walked into the Morgue and found it empty, frowning she called out Maura's name and heard a meek response from the M. E.'s office. She walked in and was taken aback by the difference she found. The office looked nothing like it did the night before. In fact it looked like she had been inhabiting it for years instead of hours, and Maura was quite comfortable behind the desk doing paperwork. She felt like she hadn't seen Maura in ages, despite having just spent time with her last night. She was like a breath of fresh air to her empty lungs. She suddenly realized how much Maura's smile affected her, she felt like she could breath in her presence. Like the world calmed all around her and chaos stopped at the threshold of her door.

"Hey! How was your day?" Came Maura's soft voice, filling the air with warmth.

"Good, really good, I think we can close the book on the double murder. They were practically falling over themselves to point the finger at each other." Jane absentmindedly played with the items on Maura's desk watching her lean back in her chair. _God she looks beautiful_ she thought. "Are we still on for drinks?" she asked hopefully.

"Oh, yes, well." Maura looked surprised. "I, I thought you would be with Doctor Clark tonight."

"So you have plans already?" Jane asked, her heart sinking. She hadn't thought about Doctor Clark for most of the day, she was mostly looking forward to spending time with Maura.

"No, no plans really" Maura paused, and Jane could see she was working something out in her mind. "Well, actually. There is something I needed to do tonight, if you would like to join me." Maura turned her eyes up to Jane, knowing that she would have a hard time saying no to her when she turned her charm on. Jane knew deep down though, there was very little she wouldn't want to do with Maura tonight.

"Detective Rizzoli! There you are." Rebecca came into Maura's office, flushed as if she had run down the stairs instead of taken the elevator.

Jane's heart jumped and suddenly she felt incredibly uncomfortable being in the same room with both Maura and Rebecca. _Shit, _was all that came to her mind. "Hey..." Jane thought she saw out of the corner of her eye Maura's face drop.

"I was hoping we could grab dinner? Have a talk?" Rebecca sauntered over to Jane, letting her voice drip the words out. Jane felt goosebumps draw out of her skin at the lust in Rebecca's eyes. She looked between Maura and Rebecca, mouth open as she tried to formulate a response. "I think we have some unfinished business from our last get together" she lightly touched Jane's arm, never wavering eye contact.

"Dinner? Food?" was all Jane could manage to scramble out. Somehow she sensed that food wasn't exactly on Rebecca's mind. She could feel her stomach bottoming out as she remembered how feverishly they had interacted the last time they were together. She almost felt like she was cheating on Maura, but sadly, that was the farthest thing from the truth. In fact, Jane was convinced she had all but dreamed up Maura's reaction at the house.

"Yes, unless you had...other plans?" She purred to Jane who didn't notice the sideways glance at Maura; who had barely moved since she entered.

"Well, I, um." Jane looked at Maura, blushing.

"Oh!" Maura stood up as if all of sudden realizing there were people in her office. "Jane, please, don't worry about it. We can reschedule for another night." Maura smiled sweetly at Jane. She was slightly disappointed; she wanted to know what Maura had to do tonight.

"Brilliant!" Rebecca added grabbing Jane's arm and shaking her out of her thoughts. She started leading her out the door.

"Actually, Jane." Maura reached out as if trying to physically stop Jane from walking out of her office. "I was wondering if I could borrow you tomorrow?"

"Of course. Whatever you need." Jane said without hesitation.

Maura and Rebecca silently stared at each other with Jane standing in the middle. She suddenly felt like she was in the middle of a tug of war. "If I have to share you tomorrow, I'd like to get started tonight. Shall we then?" Rebecca pulled at Jane's arm again. Jane salivated a little at the promise Rebecca's voice implied.

Suddenly Jane's phone rang, breaking the tension in the room. "Rizzoli." Jane saw Rebecca frown. "Got it Korsak, I'll be right there." Jane hung up the phone and turned to Rebecca, "Sorry, rain check? We got a call." She shook her phone to punctuate her statement, feeling relieved to shake the feeling of having to decide between the two women.

Rebecca pouted at Jane, but before she could try to convince Jane to change her mind, Maura's phone rang. "Dr Isles. Yes, I believe so." She looked at Jane and her eyes lit up. "Yes, I believe _Jane_ can give me a ride." Maura stressed her name eyeing her then Rebecca; Jane nodded yes, smiling. Maura hung up the phone, "You don't mind do you Jane? I still haven't gotten my bearings in this town." Maura shrugged smiling sweetly at her.

Jane felt butterflies in her stomach; she couldn't take her eyes off Maura. _I would drive you anywhere_, she thought, smiling shyly.

"Oh, so, your taking Maura then?" Rebecca chimed in, forcing Jane to break eye contact with Maura.

"Yeah, I guess. We can reschedule though, right?" Jane was already walking towards the elevator, Maura in tow with her medical bag.

"Yeah, sure, of course!" Rebecca chirped in behind them. "See you later!" She was able to get in as the doors started closing on her. With Maura behind her, Jane didn't see her wink at Rebecca as the doors closed.


	13. Chapter 13

JPOV

They arrived at the scene a few minutes later; Jane hardly stopping at the taped area to let the officers know who they were. Not that she needed to, but protocol was protocol and some officers apparently relished the opportunity to have any type of control. She had to wait for Maura however, who _always_ followed protocol.

They walked onto a scene that was eerily similar to their first case. A young woman had been dumped in a motel parking lot, her face badly beaten and her personal items not to far away from her body.

Korsak had already arrived and was looking through the woman's wallet. "Hey Jane, Maura." He didn't wait for their response. "Doesn't look like a robbery Jane, and look" he handed her a school ID, "she attended the same school as our last victim."

"Coincidence?" Jane asked staring at the picture of a beautiful young brunette woman.

"Doubtful" came Maura's response "A quick analysis of the body points to the same type of contusions as our first victim.

"So you think it was the same guy? Same weapon?" Jane knew she could only push the doctor so far before she refused to answer questions anymore.

"I can't state that Jane." she frowned "You can clearly make out here, here and here, that a cylindrical weapon was used." She pointed out the three locations to Jane who nodded. "Now, I am merely speculating here, but I believe the same type of weapon could have been used to cause this type of damage on this woman as the first body I examined."

"So its the same guy? Probably some prick of a student who couldn't take no for an answer. Twice" Jane stated more than asked Maura.

Maura's response was readable on her face before she even said anything and Jane couldn't help but laugh. "Jane, you know that's pure speculation. I cannot definitively give you a cause of death until I have thoroughly examined the body." She knew how much the doctor hated speculation, but it was what Jane did, she theorized until something fit. "What I can say is that this is a particularly brutal attack." Maura shook her head while continuing to examine the body, carefully marking down anything she found.

Korsak shifted "I'm ganna check to see if there were any witness's, but if its anything like the last time, I don't suspect I'll be gone for long." He walked off leaving Jane and Maura alone.

"Do we have a time of death yet?" Jane asked watching Maura worked. Her skillful hands and eyes not letting even the smallest detail go unnoticed.

"About two to three hours, she hasn't been here very long Jane. I am surprised no one witnessed her at least being dumped." Maura wrote something in her log frowning.

Jane perked up at her statement. "What do you mean, dumped?" Her method of investigation might have differed from Maura, but it was listening to her gut that allowed her to be the youngest person promoted to detective, and right now her gut was telling her something wasn't right.

"Well" Maura paused looking at the body then at Jane, "I think its fairly obvious she wasn't killed here."

"What about the first girl? Was she killed at the motel or dumped there after?" Jane stood, beginning to pace, her mind quickly working through the facts she knew about the case, she missed Maura's frown at her question. When she was in detective mode, there was no room for distraction.

"Did you not read my report detective Rizzoli?" Maura asked teasingly.

Jane perked up at the sound of Maura using something besides her first name. It sounded strange coming out of those beautiful lips. "No Maura, I don't like to read, I like to make baseless assumptions out of thin air."

Maura smiled, trying to contain a laugh at Jane's exasperation. "The location where the body was found was clearly not the same place she had died. There was no evidence that would indicate the murder happened where the body was located. Just like here." She waved at the places where Jane knew should have blood from the trauma that was inflicted on the body, but it was empty justifying Maura's point.

"So are you and Doctor Clark getting, serious?" Maura asked casually.

Jane halted midstep, hated the question; especially since she didn't know how to answer it truthfully. More than anything, she hated having to find an explanation to Maura. "It was one date Maura. Besides, I don't usually get serious with anyone." She was trying to read Maura's expression, but also looking for a reason to change the subject. "I'm not usually in the habit of discussing this type of stuff with anyone, even my best friend."What about you? You ever get serious with anybody?"

"Really?" Maura asked scrunching her face in surprise, then delight.

"Yes Maura, whom do you tell your dirty business too?" Jane asked, keeping her laughter in check as best she could.

"No Jane." Maura stopped her work and stared at Jane. "I meant about the best friend thing, you really think I'm your best friend?" she blushed even as she asked the question, which made Janes heart break at the fact that she even had to ask her.

"of course Maur. I, I thought that was pretty obvious?" Jane responded softly matching her gaze. She reached out and touched Maura's arm instinctively and blushed at the softness of her skin.

Maura smiled at both the sign of affection and Jane's revelation. "Me too Jane." they held each others gaze for a full minute, before Maura finally looked back at her work blushing. "To answer your previous question Jane" she looked up briefly at Jane "I was engaged once."

Jane let the words soak into her, "Oh? So…what happened?" Jane's heart started racing at the thought of someone else spending time with Maura, being intimate with her, brushing her soft light brown hair out of her face, reveling in her intelligence, _stop it Jane _She chastised herself.

Maura didn't reply right away. Jane waited, hoping that she would continue if she just waited her out. "He, he cheated on me. A lot." Was all Maura would add.

Jane could see sadness and hurt in her eyes. "I'm sorry Maur." Jane's voice was low and husky, she barely whispered the words out, not sure how to respond.

"Me two" Maura stated softly smiling meekly at Jane. "I think I have everything I need from here, I'd like to have them move the body to the lab, so I can start my analysis on it in the morning." She stood up taking her gloves off.

"Yeah, ok. I'll take you back so you can go home. I think Korsak can handle it from here." Jane wanted to hear more about Maura's engagement. How serious was it? What was the sadness that had overtaken Maura's eyes. _What kind of an idiot cheats on a girl like Maura Isles_ she thought.

They drove back in silence, Jane lost in thought about a life that existed previous to Jane meeting Maura. It was Maura who first broke the silence, "he hurt me." She paused breathing deeply "I trusted him, he was one of the only people I trusted. It, it was a long time ago. But…" She trailed off allowing Jane to connect the dots, her fingers softly tracing her lips as she stared out the window. Jane watched her out the corner of her eye.

No wonder Maura was so hard to crack. Jane started connecting the last few weeks of their time together. It wasn't just the science that she hid behind; she used her pursuit of science as an excuse to avoid situations in which she would have to put herself out there, and get hurt. Maybe this was the reason she couldn't break past that beautiful exterior. Perhaps her encyclopedic knowledge of facts was her defense mechanism against years of pain?

They arrived at the precinct, and Jane watched as Maura silently got out of the car and made her way to her own vehicle. She waited for her to open the door, but instead Maura just stood there, keys in her hand staring at her window. Jane's gut told her something wasn't right and she immediately jumped out of the car going to Maura's side. "Maura, what's wrong?" She asked quietly, watching her friend's reaction carefully, her hand automatically going to her hip where her gun was.

Maura didn't move, didn't respond, she just looked at Jane with fear in her eyes. Jane moved closer and saw a white rose with a note attached to it sitting on the drivers seat. "You expecting a love note?"

Maura shook her head looking at Jane "I…I don't understand how this is in my car Jane." Her voice was filled with anxiety and concern. Jane felt an immediate need to protect Maura, she found herself fighting a strange combination of jealousy and anger at anyone who would break into her car and cause her to look so afraid. Jane reached for the door, but before she could touch it Maura grabbed her arm. "Gloves" she said reaching in her bag for a fresh pair. Jane knew she was right and begrudgingly put them on rolling her eyes at her. "Really? Now?"

She opened the door and reached for the envelope, the smell of musk emanated from the white thick paper. Jane could tell it was expensive parchment she was holding, she took the rose and handed it to Maura who held it at bay with two fingers. The smell that came from the rose was unexpected, but Jane couldn't place it. Maura watched, apprehension written plainly on her face as Jane opened up and read out loud the letters contents:

"I HOPE YOU ENJOYED RECEIVING MY GIFTS AS MUCH AS I DID CREATING THEM FOR YOU, DR DEATH. YOU'LL BE JOINING MY COLLECTION SOON."


	14. Chapter 14

MPOV

She couldn't breath. She could feel her lungs restricting as she reduced the carbon dioxide in her blood. _Relax Maura, breath_ She thought to herself as the world began to spin around her. _You're interfering with the_ _balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your body. List the science _she continued thinking to herself, trying her usual method of relaxing; _Having an improper balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide can lead to many generalized symptoms, including weakness, dizziness, light-headedness or confusion. _Far off in the distance she could hear her name echoing in the background.

"Maura! Maura!" The voice sounded familiar, soothing. She wanted to reach out to that voice and allow herself to be enveloped in the husky warmth. "Maura!" She was shaken out of her own mind. Jane was holding her arms, holding her up. A mixture of fear and concern wrapping her face. "Hey, you ok?" Jane's touch was warm, she didn't want to step out from her grasp, afraid she might crumble to the ground.

She had never been directly threatened; she was always in the background. No one ever paid attention to the coroner, to the medical examiner's office. Who would pay attention to her? Why? "I'm Dr Death, that's what they call me, I'm just a Medical Examiner. Why me?"

"I know, I know Maur." Jane wrapped her arms around her as she realized she was talking out loud. "its ganna be ok, sweetie. I got you." Jane cupped her face forcing her to look into those sweet scared brown eyes. "I'm going to protect you Maura. I'm going to protect you, I promise. Nothing is going to happen to you." Jane's calming voice helped bring reason to her mind. "Come on, lets get out of here, I don't like being this exposed, and we need the crime lab to process your car." Maura followed her as she lead her gently to the building.

Maura's mind went through all the possible scenarios of how this could have happened. Who would target the medical examiner of all people? She took some deep breaths and forced her breathing to slow. Stepping out of the elevator, Maura lead the way to her office and took a seat.

"Maura, I need you to think. Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt you? Or send you a message?" Jane was in detective mode, she could see it in her face. She was already creating scenarios and predictions in her mind. Usually this bothered Maura, but tonight she was glad she had Rizzoli on her side.

Maura took one more deep breath and allowed her body to relax. She was safe here, this was her space. "No. I haven't met anyone outside of the police force. I have barely had time to even get my office set up! Jane, why would anyone target me?"

"I don't know Maura, but we are going to find out, I promise." Maura could see the determination in Jane's eyes, and despite her mind telling her otherwise, she believed Jane.

Maura practically jumped off of her chair as Korsak stumbled into the office out of breath. "What happened? Are you ok?" He looked pale and Maura could see small beads of sweat start to form on his brow. She knew that he had assumed the worst, having suffered through almost losing Jane not to long ago.

"She's fine Korsak, what have you found out so far?" Maura knew it was impossible to have a definitive answer so quickly. She was certain that even at the fastest speed, the crime techs could not have processed her car already, nor could they have gone through any possible video from the surveillance system.

"No one noticed anyone comin in or out of the garage. The good news is that Maura keeps her car so clean, it shouldn't take long to figure out if anything is missing." Korsak wiped his brow, his body still holding in tension despite the smile he tried to plaster on his face. "I think you guys should just go home for the night, we can figure this all out in the morning. Theres nothing to be done here, the body hasn't even arrived yet" he pointed towards the morgue and Maura knew it was true, she had nothing to do but sit, wait, and panic at the possibilities of what it meant to be targeted by some unknown assailant.

Jane ran her hand through her hair and Maura knew she was running through the same possibilities as she was in her mind. "Maura, your car is going to have to stay here for a while, you know that right?"

"Yes" Maura answered despite knowing that it was more of a statement than a question coming from Jane.

"Ok, well, want some company for tonight?" Jane's eyes soften from their usual intensity as she turned her gaze at Maura. Maura smiled, she couldn't imagine wanting to spend time with anyone else, especially considering the current conditions.


	15. Chapter 15

_I am not entirely sure what happened to Chapters 13 and 14. Either I did something wrong when I uploaded Chapter 14, or well...I probably just screwed something up! I apologize to anyone who had a hard time reading the chapters. I see them as being in order now, but please let me know if there is still a problem with them. I will do my best to fix them!_

_Thank you for the kind comments and for sharing your thoughts as the story progresses. I cannot express how much those comments fuel me to continue the story and work towards finishing it quickly! _

_As usual, I own nothing, I make nothing, and I do not represent anyone or anything. I hope you enjoy the story and its progression! _

MPOV

They couldn't leave soon enough for Maura's taste. Suddenly being in that building felt confining. She knew it was impossible, but she felt as if the walls themselves were caving in. She craved freedom; she needed to escape as soon as possible. First they had to check out with the Commander, who phoned in his concern over the situation and cleared Jane and Maura to leave while the rest fumbled over her car and the incoming body. He thought it was best they remove themselves from the situation while they tried to sort the mess out. Maura agreed whole heartedly, not wanting to break protocol.

Maura guided Jane to her home, the car ride was mostly filled with silence broken only once by Jane. "Are you doin ok?" she didn't turn to look at Maura, who was silently glad not to have to look into her beautiful eyes, dark and full of concern.

She took stock of her situation, she was being threatened by some unknown person, her car was being processed by crime technicians, and she was about to be dropped off at home by Jane. "Better now." Maura answered quietly, letting the silence of their car ride envelope them.

They slowed to a crawl as Jane's eyes carefully surveyed her home as it sprawled open ahead of them. Her grey home lay before them, Maura tried to follow Jane's gaze as she scrutinized the area looking for something out of place despite never having been here before. They sat in the car for a few more moments in silence, neither wanting to be the first to leave each other's presence.

"So, um" Jane cleared her throat, "I was thinking…"

Maura interrupted Jane "Yes, no, you have to go, I understand, don't worry."

"Actually, I don't know what you have to do tonight, but I was thinking I could stick around?" Jane turned her gaze away from the house finally and looked at Maura with such a beautiful uncertainty and expectation that Maura had to remind herself to breath, to not blurt out what was floating through her mind. "I mean, you need someone to stay here for surveillance, and its better me than some unknown cop, right?"

"I." Maura paused, trying to choose her words carefully, "I would love if you stayed."

"I could sleep on the couch. Or in the car." Jane looked away as Maura reached out her hand and touched her arm.

"Don't be silly Jane, you will stay in the house, and I have a spare bedroom you can stay in." Maura smiled broadly at the thought of Jane staying in her home, spending the night. As Maura got out of the car, Jane headed to her trunk and pulled out a huge black bag in one fell swoop. "Wow" Maura giggled nervously "What's the body bag for?" _Really Maura? Body bag? _Maura couldn't help herself, she was nervous as the reality of having Jane stay the night at her house, alone, finally started to sink in. She had pictured all this differently, perhaps with a little less police work and a little more romantic intrigue. But she had to take what she could get, although she partially hoped that Jane wanted to spend the night for the same type of reason Maura wanted her to spend the night. Not just to do her job, and be her friend, but for something else. Something…more.

"You don't have an overnight bag?" Jane stopped in her tracks as if an overnight bag was the most normal thing to carry in a car. _Wait, is it? _Maura wasn't sure if Jane was being serious or her usual sarcastic self.

"An overnight bag? No, why would I carry that?" Maura's confusion was evident on her face.

"Yeah Maur, a bag that is always ready in your car." Jane paused watching Maura's face for the usual moment of recognition she has when she learns something as elegantly simple as an overnight bag. "So if you spend the night somewhere, you have a bag." Maura could see that Jane was enjoying this; she rarely had a chance to teach Maura something new. "That's ready. For the next morning. In your car."

Maura loved the idea, "An overnight bag! That's genius!" She frowned as she realized something, "but how do you keep your dress from wrinkling? Oh! And how do you know which shoes you'll want to wear the next day?"

"Jesus Maura, not everyone has those problems. Some of us just wear pants to work and don't need to buy every shoe we see." Jane's laughter echoed through her body making her feel warm from top to bottom. It didn't take much for Jane to cause Maura to melt, to feel her knees weaken at the smallest glimpse or whispered hello. Her laugh was almost too much, how it rang through her body like a bell tolling, the raspyness enriched by a genuine smile. Nothing caused Maura to melt faster than Jane's laugh.

"So, what are we doing tomorrow?" Jane asked as she gathered her things up again and proceeded to lock the car.

"Tomorrow? What about tomorrow?" Maura had lost her train of thought, having been thinking out a way to create a garment bag she could leave in her trunk without wrinkling the items inside. _Maybe I could build a shoe rack, _she thought absentmindly.

"Yes Maura," Jane smiled at a frazzled Maura, "you said you needed to borrow me tomorrow." Jane paused to look at her watch, "or rather today, what for?"

"Oh! Yes! I have a gala I have to attend and I was hoping you would escort me." Maura suddenly remembered her previous engagement and sauntered happily up to the be wiled detective.

Jane dropped her bag on the pavement and turned to Maura "No." she shook her head and put her hands up defensively as if the idea of a dance was a physical attack from Maura. "Absolutely not. I do not dance, I do not gala. Whatever that is."

"Please Jane! Its in my honor as a welcome party, I can't very well show up without an escort, and its an annual gala..." Jane's face contorted in what appeared to be physical agony.

"No Maura! I am not doing this! A gala? Come on! And besides, I don't have a dress to wear, all I have are my slacks and I am not attending a gala in my court suit!" Jane was pouting now, but Maura knew she had won the argument since Jane was already thinking about what she would have to wear.

"You could wear one of mine." Maura added helpfully, trying to wear down her detective's defenses.

"Yeah right! Would you put King Kong in a dress? I would rip that thing apart the moment I needed to breath. It would be like the hulk." Jane added, pretending to tear her jacket apart. "I would be popping out of the dress. No."

Maura laughed quietly adding, "that's what I was hoping for" she started heading towards her house. The comment seemed to have caught the detective by surprise because she gave no further protest and instead picked up her bag quickly catching up to Maura.

Despite the fact that Jane had no idea where she was going, she lead the way to the house and waiting as Maura unlocked the door and pushed it open knowing that Jane would want to go in first and explore. She watched from the doorway as Jane attempted to survey her home while at the same time not looking like she was being her usual detective self. Maura just smiled because she knew that Jane was doing the extra work for her.

"Jesus Christ Maura, you live here, where's the butler?" Jane raised her eyebrows in surprise, and for a moment Maura allowed herself to view her home through the eyes of someone else. She saw the pristine kitchen, the clean lines with little clutter. She couldn't understand how anyone could live any other way. An ordered life leads to an ordered mind, and her home was a direct representation of how she lived.

Maura walked in and headed directly to her kitchen as Jane dropped her bag. "I'll put on a pot of water and make some tea." Jane groaned causing Maura to stop as she was filling her teapot. "What? What's wrong? You don't like tea? Would you like something else" Maura felt her anxiety rise at the thought of disappointing Jane.

"Don't you have beer?" Jane pulled her hair up in a loose ponytail exposing her long neck, Maura to need to brace herself on her counter at the surge of thoughts that invaded her body involuntarily. Her eyes following Jane's face from her eyes, to her lips, to her neck, to her breasts. _Calm down Maura and focus. _"Mmm, and maybe a pizza? I could really go for something hot, warm, and juicy in my mouth. Maybe a burger?"

_Warm and juicy? I can make that happen_, Maura smirked at her own thoughts wondering what Jane would think if she knew what she was actually thinking. "My goodness Jane, you will eat just about anything, you must have pica!" Maura laughed at her own joke not realizing that Jane was lost at her humor.

"A what?" Jane asked nearing the kitchen. She had pulled out of her bag a pair of shorts and a baggy shirt that Maura assumed were her sleeping garments.

"Pica is Latin for a Magpie bird Jane. It is a species known to eat anything. Much like you. Its also a rare condition in which someone eats things that are not normally for human consumption." Maura knew she was prattling on, but Jane didn't stop her this time. "How about some fresh vegetables? Oh! I have some gorau glas. Some of the most exquisite cheese you will ever try!" Maura brought out some cheese much to Jane's chagrin. "It's made by Margaret Davies from Dwyran, Anglessy and has the reputation for being the most expensive cheese in the United Kingdom. It's won awards all over Europe and is quite labor-intensive to produce…" She trailed off noticing Jane was bored and uninterested in both her facts and the cheese.

Jane licked her lips slightly then smiled when she realized Maura was watching her and no longer talking. Maura found her mouth salivating again. "Where can I change?" was all she asked.

"Right! This way!" Maura showed Jane where the guest room and bathroom were relishing in Jane's reaction. She couldn't help but imagine for a moment a life where Jane would feel more comfortable in her home. She had purchased the home for the kitchen; it was without a doubt her favorite room in the house. Large enough to host several people over for dinner, and open so she could see almost every room. The perk was the several guest rooms. She never expected the rooms to be filled, but her hope was to be able to fill the space with laughter, and love. She watched from the doorway as Jane entered the room without turning on the light, dropped her bag with a thud and surveyed her space.

She turned and looked Maura up and down slowly, seeming to forget about the room, or the house, or the apparent danger behind the reason she was here in her home. "This'll do", was all she said, blushing dimly in the sparse light of the room. Maura blushed back knowing she was reading more into the simple words that came from Jane's mouth than she should. But it was enough to give her hope for the night. Maura stood there staring at Jane for a moment before she realized that Jane needed to change.

She smiled and walked out of the room making a beeline for her refrigerator. She knew she had nothing even close to what Jane wanted to eat, but perhaps she could whip something up that was close enough.

She frowned as she stared at the contents in her fridge, half disappointed that there wasn't a secret pizza hidden in there. She found a small pesto paste that she had made a few days earlier in one of her insomniac attempts to tire her brain out enough to let her fall asleep. _This paired with the cheese, and perhaps some crackers or pita might make a nice replacement for some pizza, _she thought to herself absentmindedly opening the container to make sure it was still fresh. So lost in thought she did something uncharacteristic of her, and dipped her index finger in the cool paste to taste it. She let the red sauce sit on her tongue, enjoying the sweet tangy mixture for a moment.

"That looks good, can I try some?" Jane's voice startled her out of her own mind and caused her to jump and almost spill the entire container. Maura had not heard the detective enter the kitchen, she snuck up on her like a panther snaking its way through the jungle and Maura responded much like a doe unsure of what to do with such a dark and powerful creature standing before her. Jane circled in, her body lithe in her baggy shirt and shorts. Maura watched the muscles in her strong legs flex as she came in closer causing her mind to go blank. She didn't dare move, transfixed on Jane's athletic body maneuvering its way through her kitchen and up to her, giving their bodies barely breathing room, the container being the only thing keeping them physically apart.

Without thinking, Maura stuck her finger in the sauce again, and offered it to Jane who smiled wickedly at the offering. She didn't hesitate, but instead locked eyes with Maura and softly, slowly placed her lips around her index finger. Maura's body melted to the floor at the sensation of Jane's lips touching her; but it was the soft, wet sensation of her tongue licking and her mouth sucking the pesto off that caused her stomach to bottom out and her core to throb with want and desire.

She couldn't breath, nor could she take her eyes off of Jane's dark intense eyes. Eyes she was certain were filled with the same desire that shot through her body like fireworks. It felt like decades later when Jane slowly pulled away and smiled at a disappointed Maura, who hadn't moved an inch. She suddenly found herself panting, her body demanding more oxygen then she could possibly bring into her lungs.

"Yum" was all that Jane offered, never wavering her eyes from Maura's as she licked her lips again. Maura put a hand on the counter, steadying herself and all at once grounding herself from the waves of desire that were pounding at her body.

Jane leaned back against the counter, not offering another word, looking cool and calm as Maura tried unsuccessfully to pull herself together. "Thanks" was all that Maura could offer, meekly in reply. She turned and tried to control her breathing, suddenly remembering how to move her body again.

"Now", Jane purred out in her low raspy voice, "about that dance?"


	16. Chapter 16

_**I had really mixed feelings about this chapter; I struggled with whether or not Maura would behave this way, and what she would actually do in this circumstance. I think this fits in line with her character, but I'm anxious to hear your thoughts on its outcome and the flow of the story! Remember italics are all internal thoughts ;)**_

_**Thank you for reviewing and egging me on! I'm always more excited and anxious to post more, better chapters whenever I get a review or comment! I think this chapter makes me the most nervous so far though, as I don't feel as confident with it as I did previous chapters! Lol so feel free to share your thoughts! Have a Safe day! Thanks for reading!**_

MPOV

Maura must have stared at Jane for a full minute before she could respond. Her mind blazing with thoughts of Jane's mouth on her body. Her tongue tracing its way across her skin. She finally shook herself out of her stupor responding shyly "dance?" Her eyelids drooping slightly as she leaned in closer to Jane. The feel of her mouth on her finger burned into her mind.

Jane leaned in as well, letting her breath softly brush against Maura's lips. "What time Maura?"

"What?" Maura asked softly, moving in another inch closer. She licked her lips at the thought of pressing them against Jane's.

Jane leaned in and whispered in Maura's ear, "Maura." she paused as Maura inhaled her soft lavender scent. Her head swam in Jane's intoxicating nature, halfheartedly fighting the dizzying effects that only Jane's presence had on her.

"What time...do we..." Jane paused again, letting her cheek rub softly against Maura's cheek. The touch of Jane's skin so soft, barely laying against her own, caused her eyes to involuntarily roll back at the distressing vulnerability that she felt with Jane. "Have to be ready for your gala. That is of course, unless you've changed your mind and don't want me to go"

"Go?" she giggled her response not really paying attention to the conversation, only to what their bodies were doing. A click later it finally dawned on her what Jane was trying to do. She pulled back sharply smiling at Jane's clever attempt. "You promised Jane!"

Jane wasn't going to give up so easy however, "I just thought maybe you've changed your mind about going." Her gravely voice brought down an octave lower than usual, causing Maura to shiver slightly. "Maybe...you've thought of something else to do?" she asked feigning innocence.

Maura saw right threw her last attempt, "we are going Jane, no excuses! Come on, let's find you something to wear Detective." she grabbed Jane's arm and pulled her towards her room despite the detectives very loud protests and groans of indignation.

Maura pulled out every dress that she owned that would possibly fit the taller brunette and had Jane the gauntlet trying each one down. They were down to the last three before Jane's resolve finally wore out and she refused to try on anymore. "No Maura, I'm not going to be your private fashion show! God woman! How many dresses do you own!" Jane pointed at the stack of spent dresses she had tried on. Most if not all of them fit her frame to some degree, but Jane found a reason with each to complain about and refuse to wear it.

"You have to choose something Jane." Maura knew it was useless to argue with Jane, sensing the major reason she didn't like most of the dresses was her last ditch attempt not to have to attend the gala. "You only have three left, why not try them on and pick one of those? I think you'll look lovely in any of them."

Jane snorted her response as she picked up a magenta colored dress. She pointed to it, "Pink! I hate pink, no!" she threw it in the pile with the others.

"Jane, that's not pink, it's magenta. Try it on first at least before you disregard it, I think the color will highlight your olive skin and darker tones really well." Maura reached for the dress from her spot on the bed.

Before she could reach it, Jane pulled it away and put it back in the closet, "No Maura, no pink!"

"Magenta", Maura corrected automatically.

"Whatever" was Jane's reply. She stated at the final two options, a long bright blue gown, or a short black strapless dress. "Here, this one. Done!" she tossed the dress unceremoniously towards Maura and headed towards the door "I'm going to bed!"

Maura yelped in surprise, trying to catch it and not let it wrinkle, "what? Your not even going to try it on?" she yelled after Jane.

"Don't need to! Leave your door open and Goodnight Maura." was all Jane offered back.

Maura pouted for a moment, then realized Jane picked a dress, which meant she was going to go. She carefully put her dresses back and finished getting ready for bed. She was exhausted, but her mind wouldn't let her relax. She kept drifting back to the moment in the kitchen, Jane standing so close. The heat from her body radiating through Maura, the way her lips and tongue felt on her finger. The look in her eyes. Maura tossed and turn, continuously turning her gaze towards the wall where Jane's room was. She was just on the other side, and Maura found herself yearning for her presence again.

Maura's mind drifted to the gala, and the anticipation of being there with Jane. It wouldn't be an official date of course, she knew that. But still, she would be able to spend time with her, and perhaps dance with her, closely, their bodies inches apart as they waltzed their way across the floor. Maura allowed her mind to drift to such a possibility. She remembered the videos from her research, the way their bodies moved, how her stomach tied itself in knots as she watched these foreign concepts appear before her. She wondered if Jane had ever..._no, doubtful _Maura sighed heavily at her growing frustration; she tried to refocus, not wanting her mind to get the best of her, but she couldn't help dream of a dance with Jane.

Maura laid in bed, imagining grabbing Jane's arms, placing one around her waist as she held the other, she would try to guide her through the dance with ease as Jane tried her best to fumble through. It would be a humorous endeavor as Jane kept trying to lead despite Maura trying to teach her the simple steps. She imagined a huge grin on her face that Maura assumed was because of the dancing. But it was really because she had an excuse for the doctors arms to be around her, and she had an excuse to do the same to the detective._ Jane was finally getting used to the rhythm of the dance as the classical music filled the room around them; crescendo's bounding off the walls and reverberating through their connected bodies. _

_The song began to wind down to an end and left the two standing there holding each other at arms length. Maura didn't know what to do, she didn't want to let go of Jane; she just wanted to wrap her arms all the way around her, wrap her lips around every inch of her body. Another song started to play, the tempo slower than the previous one. Jane began to pull away, assuming the doctor would want to change the song. But Maura wouldn't let go._

_Her lips softly asked for one more dance, "Dance with me Jane," she asked pulling Jane, but she knew her eyes asked for something else entirely. Jane smiled and pulled her closer, hoping she wasn't misreading the hunger in her eyes. _

_The slower tempo made it easier for Jane to keep in time with Maura who used the slower pace to show off her body to Jane. She felt Jane move in closer with each step. Soon they were hip to hip, letting the songs beat dictate their moves. Maura turned her back to Jane, knowing that the close proximity of their bodies would cause Jane's pulse to quicken and her blood to speed up. _

_She pushed her hips into Jane's, grinding her softly and slowly; letting her feel every movement of her muscles. She could see a light reflection off the glass from across the room Jane's eyes rolling back slightly at the exquisite feeling of Maura's body moving in time with hers. Maura swayed her body perfectly in time with the beat, showing perfect control over every inch of her small figure, and by default Jane, who was too surprised to do anything but follow along._

_She reached out and grabbed Jane's hands with her own. Jane's soft hands wrapped around her's and followed as she pulled them above their heads and behind Jane. She knew that Jane would have a perfect view of her curves and figure if she looked down and she relished the idea of Jane's eyes being followed by her hands. Jane could see every inch of her perfect figure grinding and swaying to the beat, pushing hard against her own body, softly skimming the bare parts of her skin._

_Jane slowly let her hands slide down Maura's arms, who kept hers wrapped behind Jane's head. Maura wondered how far she could go, how far she could push the detectives limits before she was told no. She felt Jane's hands travel down the length of her body. She hoped that Jane would take extra time as she softly glanced past her breasts. Maura lifted her face closer to Jane's, rubbing her cheek against hers. She could feel Jane softly panting, her warm breath tickling her skin. There was nothing but inches separating their lips now. Maura fought the sensation that Jane wanted to close the space between their lips even more, afraid of misreading the cues and confusing her own desperation to feel Jane's soft plump lips on top of her own._

_Jane rested her hands against Maura's hips. Maura responded by gently pulling herself deeper into Jane. She felt rather than heard Jane softly moan her name in response. Her face flushed at the sound and she felt certain that Jane could feel her heart pounding against her chest. Her mouth salivated at the thought of Jane pressed against it. Embolden by the noise, Maura lifted Jane's hair exposing her neck. She softly blew on it and felt Jane shiver at the feeling, goosebumps rising on their skin. Jane responded by let her hands run down further to Maura's exposed thighs. The dress she was wearing had slowly ridden up, exposing soft white skin that Jane allowed herself to run her hands against. _Her hand found itself finger the edge of her silk pants, teetering on the lip, her fingers gently sliding past the band. _Maura moved her hips harder against Jane, causing a low musky growl to escape her lips._

_Maura didn't want to waste a moment or opportunity; she felt Jane shift her head, and soon she could feel her breath tickling her directly. She opened her eyes and saw her soft brown eyes filled with an intensity Maura had seen once before, when they were trapped in the house and Maura had lost her senses. They stared at each other for a moment, hardly moving their bodies anymore, as they were lost in each other's gaze. Maura leaned her chin slightly forward, just enough to bring her lips softly on top of Jane's. _

_Maura felt Jane's body harden for a moment, but she could no longer control herself. The need to feel her soft lips pressing against her own was too much. She hungrily pushed her lips onto Jane's, devouring her lips with her own causing Jane to let out a deep and approving moan in response. Maura allowed herself to feel Jane's body and lips pressed against her own before opening her mouth slightly and allowing Jane to invade her mouth. Maura lead Jane's hands slowly toward the inside of her thighs. _Her hands following the trail Janes would go down the length of her skin, tickling it as it went into the center of her thighs.

_The craving to have more of Jane was too much, they pulled away breathless, their chests heaving. Maura turned around to face Jane as she pulled her roughly into her arms. Maura's desire throbbing so intensely it physically hurt to not have Jane invade more of her body. _She groaned softly as her hand ran the line she imagined Janes hand would. She knew it wouldn't take long before she climaxed in reality, her fantasy pushing her along.

Suddenly, Maura felt the cold hardwood as she found herself thrown on the floor, Jane's body on top of her in a heaping mess. Bewildered, Maura leaned in again for a kiss but Jane's hand covered her mouth, Her focus was no longer on her. She attempted to protest, but a slow realization started to hit her. Maura looked around bewildered, the room wasn't the same, the music was gone, and Jane was half on top of her looking out her bedroom door. _What's going on?_ Maura's brain tried to make sense of what was happening around her, but her brain and body were on different pages, refusing to piece together the situation around her.

"There's someone in the house, don't move!" Jane hissed at Maura as recognition started to sink in. Off in the distance she could hear a soft thump in the room outside her door. Jane crouched protectively over her, gun drawn staring into the dark distance. Everything clicked in suddenly, they had gone to bed, but Maura couldn't sleep knowing how close Jane was. Just on the other side of her wall was her dark temptress, but she was no longer in her fantasy. She was enjoying herself, until that is, Jane had pile driven her out of her bed in fear. And now she was about to shoot Bass.

"Jane" Maura whispered, "That's not an intruder. That's my pet." She placed her hand on the barrel of Jane's gun, slowly forcing her to lower the weapon down.

"Your WHAT?" Jane whispered back fiercely, obviously not believing Maura.

"Its ok, its my pet, Bass." Maura added smiling at Jane's confusion, "He's just hungry, looking for food."

Jane stared at Maura letting the information soak in, suddenly a loud thump emanated from the room causing Jane to raise her alert level once more. But Maura simply placed her hand on Janes gun again, focusing her attention on her never wavering her eyes.

Jane finally looked away from her doorway to her, "I heard you moan...I...I thought you were in trouble." she whispered to Maura studying her face in the dark.

Maura turned a dark crimson as she realized that Jane had hear her...fantasizing. She was immediately thankful for the darkness in her room. "I'm fine Jane. I was just..." she searched for the right words, knowing she couldn't lie, but she wasn't ready to tell Jane the truth. "I was releasing some tension, from today. Something like meditation." she added quickly knowing if given enough time Jane would see through her explanation and ask more questions. "Ok, lets go check out the living area." Maura added knowing it would distract Jane long enough to change the subject, and perhaps convince her to go back to bed.

Jane immediately stood up pulling Maura along with her. She didn't put her gun away or turn on any lights; rather she kept a hand back feeling for Maura but never looking back. She led the way around the kitchen with Maura shuffling behind her yawning. "See, nothing Jane, can we go back to bed?" Maura was anxious to finish her dream.

"Yeah, I guess so. Sorry, I just thought…." Jane stopped suddenly, her body frozen as she stared at the island counter in the center of the kitchen.

"What? What is it Jane?" Maura moved past her to see what was causing her to stop suddenly. Maura could smell it before she saw it, the sickening musk mixed with a sweet smell. She froze upon recognizing the object herself. In the pale moonlight she could see it, almost glowing as the soft light filtered through the window.

There on her counter, was a single white rose.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Good Morning (or afternoon if that's where you are when you read this) friends! The next few updates will come in a bit of a flurry as I am rushing to get this story out of me and done before Season 3 starts. I think I'm starting to get a bit too verbose, so I apologize for the length of the chapters. I am doing my best to not get lost in thought as I write and focus on the plot line, but sometimes I get carried away in description! I am thinking of submitting a chapter a day, unless I hear demand for something else!**_

_**Thank you again for leaving your thoughts and comments. I was delighted to know that the last chapter was enjoyed and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was! Hopefully you will continue to enjoy the last part of the story, and please keep those comments and thoughts coming! They make doing this worthwhile! **_

JPOV

It was a few minutes before either of them had responded. Both staring at the incomprehensible object that lay on Maura's counter. None of it made sense. How could someone have come into the home, Jane was there the whole time. Furious at her own failure, Jane wanted to rip the flower apart. She nearly succeeded in doing so but Maura wouldn't let her near it, calmly asking her to call it in. Jane couldn't understand how she could be so calm with her life at stake, with Jane failing to keep her safe.

_I failed. _The thought drummed itself in her mind, _I failed at my job, I failed Maura._ The words twisted in Jane's mind piercing and stabbing her gaping wounds. She had one job; she was there to do one thing. And she had failed at it.

As officers and technicians swept in and out of the house, Jane paced the length of the living room and kitchen area, wracking her brain, trying to remember every detail of the night. When could this have happened? How?

Maura stood by, watching as her home was pecked and probed, guiding here and there, but mostly just standing by smiling meekly at Jane or Korsak as they tried their best to not upset her. It was almost an hour later before Maura stopped Jane and asked to head to the precinct. "Yeah, sure, now?" Jane asked confused. Why would she want to go to the precinct instead of stay here and supervise what was happening in her own home.

"Yes, I'll just need to grab something first, but I would like to get there as soon as possible please." Maura headed to her room as Jane nodded. She told Korsak of their plan and he agreed it was best to get Maura out of the house.

"You ok Jane? I mean, this doesn't make sense, does it? How could..." Jane put her hands up, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence

"Not now Korsak." Was all she added, walking towards the kitchen table, wanting to make sure all the evidence was collected and reports ended up on her desk first.

A little while later, Maura headed to her office ignoring Jane's protests that she stay close while they figure this out. As bullheaded as Jane was, she knew by now that Maura could be as difficult to convince to do something different once her mind was set. Jane watched as she got in the elevator smiling at her as the doors closed. She couldn't understand how she could be so calm and collected. All the while Jane felt her anger and frustration burning slowing at the pit of her stomach. She could do little to hide her fury as she entered her department and threw death glares at anyone who dared even attempt to speak to her.

The day went by with Jane burying herself in reports as they came in, calling Maura constantly to make sure she was ok. Finally Maura told her she could only text her, no longer answering the phone when she called. It was frustrating feeling so out of control, but she had to respect Maura, although she didn't understand what she was doing.

She waited impatiently for Korsak to return from Maura's house with a better report than the trash that was piling up on her desk. It was a few hours later when he finally sauntered in holding two coffees in one hand and eating a donut with the other. "About time! What did you do? Grow the beans yourself? Reinvent coffee pressing?" Jane growled out taking one of the coffees he offered.

"Hey! Don't go biting my head off. I figured you could use a little caffeine, but maybe you've had to much already." He moved in to take her coffee away and was met with a small slap from Jane who coveted the beverage as it it was a precious gem. He chuckled and shrugged as he moved to his desk.

"So?" Jane asked sipping the soothing hot beverage. It tasted terrible, but it was coffee and she desperately needed the comfort that came from the drink.

"You already know most of it Jane. No signs of forced entry, no finger prints, no method of entry period actually. We got a slight foot print, I left as they were pulling the impression, but it'll be a while before we can get anything useful out of it." He took another bite of his donut spitting out sprinkles as he continued causing Jane to roll her eyes. She didn't dare stop him now though, not while he was giving her information. "No one saw anyone enter or leave, and the rose is going to have to go through forensics like everything else. No hairs, no fibers. I mean, this guys a ghost!" He shoved the last bit of donut in his mouth stopping his ability to say anything else.

Jane turned to her desk frustrated. "It just doesn't make any sense Vince, I didn't see or hear anything. And by the time we went to investigate what Maura said was her pet, the rose was already there." Jane put her head in her hands, despite the surge of caffeine; she was developing quite a stunning headache.

"Jane." Korsak said softly, "This isn't your fault. This guy, whoever he is, he's good."

Jane looked up at her partner, his eyes soft and full of concern, a few dabbles of sprinkles that had escaped his mouth strewn on his shirt. She smiled for the first time in all day. "Thanks Vince. But I still...I still feel..." She shook her head again, unable to get the words out. Korsak got up and put his arms out. He waited for her to respond, but Jane leaned back in her chair feigning disgust. "Oh no! No you don't Vince, Don't get all soft on me!" He just waved his hands, leaving his arms outstretched for her to come in for a hug. Jane paused, then stood up and allowed him to envelope her.

He was the only person she knew would never question her, or ask her to justify anything. She didn't need to finish a thought with him. They had worked together for so long, through so much, they just knew what the other needed. He squeezed her once more, then silently turned and sat down, returning to work. Jane was thankful for him, allowing her a moment to be vulnerable, but not chastising her for it. She also returned to work, pouring over the notes on her desk, her head in her hand, a pen in the other.

Jane could hear the clicking of her shoes before she actually walked in. Rebecca sauntered into the homicide department, her eyes solely fixed on Jane who pretended to hardly notice her presence, so engrossed in the reports she was reading. Korsak saw her walk in and smiled broadly about to say hello to her when she put her finger up to her mouth indicating he should stay quiet. Korsak smiled and nodded watching her approach Jane's desk. She waited a moment watching Jane who's hand was now covering her eyes, trying her best to concentrate on the work in front of her and not on the sweet smell of perfume that emanated from the woman practically sitting on her desk.

Rebecca softly cleared her throat, but Jane failed to respond. "Detective", she said loudly. Jane pretended to jump feigning surprise at Rebecca's presence. "You had an appointment." she added smiling.

"Oh." Jane tried finding the words to continue but came up blank. She didn't have time for this. She needed to ensure Maura's safety, not play around with this woman. This woman who could still tie her tongue in knots with her sinewing raw sexual energy. Despite herself, Jane could still feel her soft skin beneath her fingers, taste her desire in her mouth. She shook her head to try to refocus herself from the distraction tingling at the edge of her mind.

Rebecca raised an eyebrow at Jane's response, obviously waiting for something more. "Yes, but I can see you now if you have a moment. I would like to finish my report this week, and I'm afraid I am still waiting on you to be able to complete it." She clicked her tongue against her teeth to emphasize the last part.

Jane felt her cheeks redden as she realized most of her office was watching her reaction now, having noticed Rebecca walk in. "Uh, yeah, well..." Jane trailed off looking at Korsak for help. He turned and looked at his paperwork smiling. Jane cursed herself and him. "I am kind of in the middle of a pretty big case right now." Jane blurted out.

"No you're not. Not anymore Rizzoli." Her commander walked through the homicide doors handing Jane a piece of paper. "You're to close to this case now, I need you on the sidelines until we get this figured out."

Jane stood up, rage building up inside her again, her fuse already cut short from this mornings events. "WHAT? You can't do that!"

"Yes, I can, and I just did. Doctor Isles is off the case as well. She called someone else to process the last body brought in." He was walking away from Jane, knowing full well the fury that was about to be leashed out on him.

""She WHAT?" Jane did little to hide her bewildered state looking at Korsak for assistance as he stood up as well.

"Uh, Sir. Am I still on, as lead?" Korsak asked to the retreating back of his superior.

He stopped mid step, "yes, of course. Just stay on top of it Vince." He turned slightly looking at Jane. "I know how much this means to you, so..." He hesitated rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly. "So if you can give Korsak any guidance, that might help..." He trailed off again looking at Jane hoping his point would get across.

Jane forced herself to breath and tried to calm down slightly, she forced a tight smile, "Of course."

"But you're off the case Rizzoli. Don't forget that Korsak!" He added as he walked out again.

Jane sat down absorbing the scene that had just happened. She was off the case officially, but he was allowing her to continue to help with the investigation, and with Korsak in the lead, that meant it was all still in Jane's hands. Under her control.

"Does this happen often?" Rebecca asked causing both Jane and Korsak to jump at the sudden intrusion to their thoughts.

"Does what happen often?" Korsak asked back, confusion on his face.

"Does he often relinquish control to the two of you?" She pressed, her eyes trained on Jane. "Specifically, to you Jane?" She added at the silent space they left at her question.

Korsak looked at Jane before answering, "he knows we do a good job together. He has to pull her off to protect the department, but Jane is the best person to run this case. He knows that." He nodded and sat down again; Jane noticed his hands shaking only slightly.

"Like I said, I don't think this is a good time right now." Jane finally looked at Rebecca whose eyes had never wavered from studying her.

"On the contrary Detective, I think this is a perfect time. I happen to know some brilliant stress reduction techniques we could do. Come on." She walked off, not waiting for Jane, but knowing that she would have to follow. Jane grabbed her jacket and smiled at Korsak who shrugged back at her.

She followed Rebecca in silence, trying her best to look at anything but the soft lush frame walking ahead of her. They entered her office, Rebecca pointing at a couch, allowing Jane to sit down before closing the door behind her.

Suddenly Rebecca jumped onto Jane, pulling hungrily at her top almost causing her shirt buttons to pop off. Jane panicked, unsure of what to do with such a forward advance and overwhelmed at the situation at hand. She was kissing Jane's neck, straddling her in between her legs. Jane allowed herself to be pulled into one solid kiss, feeling her tongue intrude her mouth causing her to feel a pull in her core. She couldn't help but kiss back. She was frustrated, and Rebecca allowed a simple escape from her anger and frustration. The more Rebecca pulled at her, moaned and grinned against her, the harder it was for Jane to keep her senses about her. Her head swam at the furry of activity. It was a few minutes before she finally was able to wriggle out of her grasp, panting as she fell off the couch and escaped her clutch.

"I don't think this is a good idea" Jane panted trying to catch her breath and readjust her clothes.

"Why would you say that Detective? What could be better than a repeat of our night together?" Rebecca purred out, slowly unbuttoning her top. With each button Jane felt her resolve weaken.

She forced herself to look away, "Because you're supposed to be investigating me, not sleeping with me. And I need to go back to work." Jane added, remembering Maura and suddenly fighting the aching throb she felt to see her make sure she was ok. "I should check on Maura." She added absentmindedly.

"Oh, yes. Doctor Isles." Rebecca stiffened as she said her name, causing Jane to refocus on her. "You seem to have a very close relationship with her detective. Considering her line of work." She turned her nose in the air at the end of the sentence.

Jane felt herself get defensive at the perceived insult of her friend. "She is a good friend yes. We work well together."

Rebecca got up suddenly, her shirt still unbuttoned and grabbed a file from her desk, she leaned against it as she flipped it open. "I fail to see how you two even get along. Your files spell out direct opposites." She looked up at Jane, watching her response closely.

Jane tried to relax, knowing that being defensive at this moment was not going to help the situation. "Maybe. But maybe that's what makes us such a good pair. We compliment each other well I think." She sat down again on the couch, giving Rebecca space between them.

Rebecca eyed her slowly, a flush growing from her neck to her face. "Perhaps Detective." She paused, "tell me about your relationship with Korsak and Dr. Isles." She put the file down and crossed her arms.

Jane struggled to find the right words; she knew she had crossed over to being a patient, having probably offended the lover right out of Rebecca with her rebuking her advances. "I think you know everything you need to know Rebecca." She looked up at her, trying her best to be charming.

"Yes, it appears that I do." She paused, looking Jane up and down again. "I can't convince you to stay?" She asked hopefully, licking her lips unconsciously, her hand slowly running itself across her chest, disappearing momentarily beneath the lacy fabric of her bra.

Jane starred, her mouth slightly opened as she watched Rebecca, her mind momentarily fluttering to the feel of her mouth against her breast, she felt a familiar pool begin to form in between her legs and a mixed anticipation of possibilities to come. Rebecca noticed her waver and smiled seductively at Jane. Jane needed to escape before she made another mistake and lost her resolve all over again, she stood up and slowly crossed the room. Despite her intentions, her body led her away from the door.

She watched as Rebecca braced herself against the table. She had no plan, no idea what she was going to do. She simply placed her arms around the woman who nuzzled her face into her neck. She kissed her once more, then simply nodded no, grabbed her jacket off the couch and turned to leave.

"I won't wait around forever Detective." Rebecca blurted out to Jane's back.

Jane didn't turn around, "I know", she softly stated as she opened the door and walked out into the hallway. She headed directly for the elevator, to Maura's office. Never looking back.


	18. Chapter 18

JPOV

"Eat! Eat!"

Jane recognized the voice as soon as she stepped off the elevator, freezing mid-step.

"You must be starving, look at you! Your so skinny! Who feeds you?"

_oh God no, _Jane thought to herself panicking at the reality of the situation. Maura's muffled response couldn't be descerned, but all the same Jane quickened her pace to Maura's office fearing the worst.

"Janie!" her mother called out in delighted surprise standing up to hug her daughter.

"Ma! What are you doing here?" Jane couldn't believe what she was seeing. Maura was seated with her mouth full of whatever was in the dish she was cradling in her lap. A huge smile spreading across her lips upon seeing Jane.

She swallowed quickly and pointed at the container in her lap, "your mother brought me food."

"Thank you captain obvious." Jane focused on her mom again, "Ma, you can't just come bother Dr Isles, this isn't a beauty salon, she has work to do. What are you doing here?"

Jane watched as her mother grabbed another container from a small brown paper bag, "don't worry Janie, I brought you one too." she smiled as Jane hungrily took the container, dropping the subject and accepting the bribe of food. "Frankie told me what happened to Maura, I couldn't just sit by not doing something."

"Yeah Ma, so many cases have been cracked by your cooking." Jane snorted as she took another bite.

Angela ignored the comment and continue, long since used to her daughters sarcasm, "I figured you hadn't eaten yet so I brought some food for both of you. And just in time too, look at how skinny Dr. Isles is! You have to come over for dinner on Sunday, I'll make sure you eat!" she added fawning over Maura for a brief moment.

Maura smiled as she swallowed another bite. "This is the best lasagna I've ever had Mrs Rizzoli."

Jane snorted at Maura's comment causing her mother to sharply turn towards her. "Well at least someone can recognize good cooking! It's settled then, Maura's coming over for dinner." she added determined.

Jane mouthed to Maura, "have you ever had lasagna?" Maura smirked and shook her head no in response causing Jane to laugh out loud.

"What? What's so funny?" Angela turned between both of them confused, searching for an answer.

"Nothing Ma" Jane stood and gave her mom a kiss on the cheek, "this is great! Perfect even." Her mom straightened up a little and continued to bring out containers from the bag smiling broadly at the compliments.

"I have to go before your father realizes I brought over all the lasagna. He'll flip out and Im not in the mood to hear him complaining" she handed Maura another container having noticed the first one was almost empty. Maura happily took the container from her and smiled. There was an awkward moment where Maura wasn't sure how to say goodbye, but Angela reacted without thinking and reached down and hugged Maura. Despite herself, Jane smiled at the exchange.

"Dr Isles!" a foreign male voice called out from the examination room, Jane turned to Maura catching her rolling her eyes.

"Who's that?" Jane asked alarmed at the sudden intruder.

"I called in someone else to examine the body." Maura grabbed her head and rubbed it slowly, "Jane, would you mind seeing what he needs? I...just...can't." was all she added.

"I'll see you later ma, thanks for the food." Jane kissed her mom goodbye and walked through the door, she found a tall skinny man standing over the last victims body. He jumped slightly at the sight of Jane. "Where is Dr Isles." he asked demandingly.

"She's busy." was all Jane stated eyeing him up and down. "What do you need?" she already didn't like him, he had rearranged Maura's things, making the room a little bit less like her and more like him.

He sighed exasperated, "I NEED Dr. Isles obviously, not one of her lackeys."

"Excuse me?" Jane physically had to take a step back to restrain herself from releasing hours of pent up frustration and fury on this man who had the gull to respond to her this way. "I am not some lackey! Who the fuck are you?"

He rolled his eyes at her and turned back waving her away, "let me know when Dr. Isles can grace me with her presence."

From behind her Maura's voice pipped in, "I'm right here Dr Pike. What is it you need?" her voice sounded worn down, exhausted.

"Uh! Finally! I am all done with my initial analysis. I need you to sign off on it so I can prep the body for the funeral home to pick it up." he slapped some papers on the counter while looking down on the small framed Dr Isles. She picked up the stack and started examining it without a word "Are you going to go through every page? You've barely been on the job and already you're calling me in to help you. I certainly don't understand why they would pick you over me for this job. It's obvious you can't hack it", he mumbled something about affirmative action while turning his back to them.

Jane had to physically hold herself down to stop herself from barreling down and making him eat the stack of paperwork he was referring to. She was about to unleash a barrage of insults at him when Maura stopped flipping through the pages and looked up. "I noticed you didn't do a forensic exam on the lower half of her body?" Maura asked.

"No. Why would I? I thinks it's pretty clear that the cause of death is from the multitude of stab wounds on the top half of her torso Doctor, not on her lower half." he rolled his eyes. Jane wanted to remove his eyes from his skull.

"Dr. Pike. I believe when I called you here I asked for a thorough examination to be done." She placed the papers on the table, emphasizing her final point. She walked over to the body removing the sheet from the lower half.

Jane gasped at the sight of the victims legs covered in marks and deep bruising. "what the fuck happened to her?"

"Jane! Language!" Maura gave her a look she only reserved for Jane, which long ago had lost its scolding effect, but Jane stayed quiet nonetheless. "It looks like her legs were broken Jane." Maura pointed to a spot on each leg where the bruising seemed to grow from like a spider web. "These marks happened prior to her death, have we x-rayed them?" Maura asked knowing full well the answer she was about to receive.

"Well..no." Dr. Pike's skins started to flush a bright red as his mistakes were realized for him.

"And what of defensive wounds, I saw no mention of it in your chart."

"He broke her legs didn't he? So she couldn't run away." Jane whispered realizing the depth of suffering this victim went through.

Maura ignored her speculation, "Then I'm still waiting for the full examination to be performed, let me know when you have finished the forensic analysis on the entire body, then we can discuss releasing it."

Maura turned missing the gaping expression on the doctors face, she winked at Jane as she walked past her. Jane had a huge grin on her face as she turned to follow Maura, _that's my girl!_ She thought as the she turned to see Dr Pike's mouth slowly lift from its place on the floor.

They entered Maura's office and Jane made a beeline for the food her mom had left behind. Maura on the other hand pulled out a bright blue garment bag that she had somehow snuck in from her home in all the commotion. Jane froze, she knew what the contents of that bag were, and she didn't want to deal with that reality right now.

Maura's smile and bright eyes was enough for her to suppress for the moment the stream of profanity that she felt bubbling to the surface. The last thing Jane wanted to do with Maura's life on the line was go to some hoity-toity gala surrounded by people who hardly understood her, let alone respected the work she did. "Is that what I think it is?" Jane asked with her mouth full of food.

"If you think it's your dress for tonight, then yes." Maura paused frowning, "wait, is that what you think it is?" Maura's excitement was too much for Jane, she sighed loudly and without a word stood up and collected the bag half glaring at Maura and the package she handed over. She left her office to change with the trudge of a woman being sent to the gallows.

MPOV

Maura waited impatiently for Jane to return, she had been gone almost an hour and she was starting to worry that Jane had changed her mind about going. She checked her phone again to see if Jane had called, no messages. She looked up started at the sound of Jane clearing her throat.

"Ready?" she asked. Maura's breath caught in her throat. She felt her stomach drop and her knees shake at the sight of Jane standing before her. She had never seen her look so ravishing. Her long dark hair fell loosely framing her face, her curls laid perfectly around her bare shoulders. Janes olive smooth skin seemed to radiate causing her brown eyes to smolder, appearing almost black and her lips red. Maura could do nothing but stare at the startling beauty that stood before her. Every inch of her begged to be touched as she filled out the black dress magnificently, every curve accentuated to an agonizing degree. Jane's usual masculinity was no where to be found as even her legs were extenuated by a pair of black heels.

"Jane, you look..." Maura breathed out the words unable to form a coherent thought long enough to actually finish it. She knew she was gawking at her, she didn't care though. For once she allowed herself to enjoy the sight fully of the most beautiful creature she had ever seen.

"I look stupid don't I?" Jane frowned looking over herself. Maura just shook her head in amazement, how could she not know how she looked, or the effect she had on her. It was a cruel game to play if she did know what she was doing.

"You look...wow." Maura finally composed herself enough to grab her things while the motivation was still within her, she suddenly had no interest in attending the function and knew she would have to fight her urge to keep Jane to herself tonight.


	19. Chapter 19

MPOV

They arrived at the estate of a very rich and very eccentric billionaire, Maura could feel Jane's tension as they entered the lavish home and made their way towards the main hall, the opulence was on full display and she knew Jane wasn't used to it. Eyes turned in recognition of Maura, but it was really Jane that caught their attention. Jane looked uneasy as she recognized the stares, probably misreading the reason behind the soft gasps; they were obviously of appreciation at her figure draped in the black cloth. Maura was almost giddy with the opportunity to show her off.

They made their rounds with casual conversation, Jane awkwardly trying her best to fit in. Maura stayed close to her, introducing her to people she hoped she would find interesting or challenging, but mainly watching her out of the corner of her eye. She had a hard time concentrating on anything else. Maura knew that whenever Jane was nervous or anxious she jokes using sarcasm to hide her anxiety; and she was particularly nervous tonight causing Maura to burst out laughing more than a few times at Jane's observations of the goings on around her.

JPOV

Jane loved Maura's laugh. It was light, airy, and real; and it made this party bearable. She appreciated Maura sticking close to her, trying to help her fit in, but it was useless. She was nervous, and somehow thought someone would find out she was a fraud and didn't belong in this world; they would kick her out. Or worst, point it out to Maura, Jane was far too blue collar for this type of crowd. Maura though, she obviously belonged here. She looked like she was in her natural habitat having grown up in these situations, surrounded by these people.

Jane went to her only line of defense, her sarcasm and wit. She pointed was pointing out to Maura the ludicrous outfits some people were wearing when suddenly a man appeared behind Maura and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Jane's impulse was to immediately dislodge this man from her Maura and dislocate his arms to ensure he never touches her again. However, when Maura turned to see who it was, her reaction indicated she knew him and liked him enough to stave off her attack.

"Richard!" Maura's surprise and confusion was evident in her voice and her face as she turned to greet the man.

"Maura! It's so good to see you again, and my, you have certainly...grown since the last time I saw you. You look delicious." he licked his teeth as he looked Maura up and down, taking a few seconds too long at certain junctions of her body.

"Yes, well thank you." she blushed at his words and the way he looked at her, they stared at each other for a moment causing Jane to grow uneasy. _Who is this guy?_ She wondered.

Maura turned to Jane, a look of worry and confusion on her face, "Jane this is Richard Stack, we were old friends, from a long ago. Richard, this is Detective Jane Rizzoli."

"Aw come on Maura, I'd say more than that! Don't minimize the attraction we had." Richard stuck his hand out to shake Jane's, "I'm Richard, I used to be Maura's fiancé." he smiled through the statement looking at Maura with pure lust in his eyes. Maura blushed at the statement looking at the ground. Jane realized suddenly why Maura had looked so bewildered at the apparent interest of this man.

"Nice to meet you." she kept her eyes on Maura studying her reaction. Was this the same man that broke her heart long ago?

"So Officer Jane is it?" he causally asked keeping his eyes on Maura's bust line.

"Detective Rizzoli" Jane growled out a little to forcefully, fighting the urge to cover Maura's chest from his prying eyes.

"Eh? What's the difference anyway? Right?" He laughed boisterously slapping Jane's back hard. "Your all cops after all, protect and serve and all that! You found yourself a a Real working class woman, Maura. I hear they are the perfect accessory." He winked at Jane.

Maura put a hand on Jane's arm, sensing the fire that was emanating from her eyes; she smiled through gritted teeth as Maura tried her best to calm the situation. "What have you been up to all this time?" she asked him keeping a calm hand on Jane. The feel of her cool skin on her arm was mildly distracting, enough to give her a few moments to calm down and breath. She knew internally that this was not the place cause a scene, at least for Maura's sake.

"Oh God, you know me. Making loads of money and finding the most creative ways to spend it. I spent the beginning part of the year traveling through North Africa curing people with some ungodly diseases, you know smallpox is still a problem down there?" He looked at Maura's exposed legs and licked his lips appearing to salivate a little. Jane felt her stomach churn as she watched him appear to drool over her friend. "I don't know how people survive honest to God. Anyway, I had a school named after me in a small town outside Bamako, just to add another to the long list..."

Jane could not stand there and listen to him prattle on about his wonderful accomplishments all the while being belittle and ignored. More than anything, she couldn't handle seeing the way Maura looked up at him, the way she wanted Maura to look at her. She knew she couldn't compare to his accomplishments, and that only made the realization that she was out of Maura's league hurt a little more. She squeezed Maura's hand and went off to find a drink, and something hard and solid to break.

MPOV

Maura watched as Jane disappeared into another room. She was not sure how to react to Richard being here, and she wasn't sure how Jane was handling meeting her ex. She had never fully gotten over him, he being the last real relationship she had experienced. He had been so different then, smart, sweet, humble and caring. They had always shared a love of science, but he changed, drastically over their time together, fame and fortune finding their way to him easily. Maura's mother wanted her to continue with the marriage despite the fact that Maura could hardly stand the person he had become. She admitted missing the few moments of normalcy their relationship delivered to her.

She listened to him talk about his work abroad, he listed his many accomplishments over the years. But Maura was hardly listening anymore, she had started comparing he and Jane absentmindedly, their striking features, square jaw lines, dark hair, razor whit, and stunning physique. Maura allowed herself to fantasize about her physical relationship with Richard, his strong domineering nature; she wondered if Jane was the same way too.

Maura blushed slightly at her thoughts, forcing herself to pay attention to what he was talking about. _Medical Research! That could be promis…Oh, I've already heard of this study,_ She thought to herself_._ Something else caught her attention though; she could hear faintly in the background, off in another room the sound of someone tinkering on a piano. She tried to concentrate on what he was saying, but her mind kept allowing the intrusion of the sound of piano keys as whoever it was clumsily ran their fingers along. She couldn't at first discern any particular chord, but the more she strained to listen, the more she realized it was a chord very familiar to her.

Maura tried hard to focus her attention on Richard and the conversation but the music that had started as a soft tentative amble started to pick up in strength as whoever was playing it grew it into a song. He must have noticed because he was asking her a question and she was not responding. "Maura, I'd like to see you again, maybe dinner? We can catch up and you can tell me how you ended up here and working with the police no less."

She recognized the song and it sent a chill down her spine, Beethoven, "Sonata No. 8" the song from her dream with Jane. It was now, despite her best to ignore it, the only thing she could think of. "Yes, sure. Sounds lovely." She answered quickly, "Will you excuse me please?" She didn't wait for a response; she had to find out who was playing the song. She headed directly towards the music, hearing the song picking up with growing intensity. Whoever was playing knew the song well, though they did not know the reaction it was having on her body. Her heart quickened its pace as she reached the door, hesitating for a moment before entering.

She entered the room stopping just at the entrance, her pulse quickened even more at the shock of seeing her favorite familiar black curls sitting in front of the piano stroking the keys gently. The music slowed as she hesitated softly hitting the correct chord, taking her time with the measure. She watched the long slender arms reach their way across the keys, she was enchanting and Maura didn't move for fear of distracting Jane and causing her to stop.

Maura could see her lost in the music, her body softly swaying. What lay before did not fit the gruff exterior of the detective she knew, but then again why shouldn't it? Jane was always full of surprises, her ability to play piano like this shouldn't surprise her the way it did. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to be taken back to her dream, she and Jane dancing, holding each other close. Suddenly the music stopped and Maura opened her eyes to find Jane staring at her. They stared at each other for a moment, neither sure what to say. "You play, amazingly", she softly said, afraid anything above a whisper would break the spell Jane had cast.

Jane looked down at her hands and smiled softly, unsure, "Thanks, I...used to play better...before this." she held her hands up acknowledging her scars to Maura for the first time. "They tend to hurt after a while," she added staring at her own hands and rubbing them together.

"I never knew you played at all." Maura took a tentative step into the room.

"It's not something you advertise working in a police station." Jane added rolling her eyes.

Maura laughed, "Jane, you have a real gift. I could listen to you play all day." she smiled sheepishly, truly meaning it, Jane was mesmerizing in her black dress, playing so eloquently on the piano, it was hard not to be attracted to her on a normal bases, but this! This was too much!

Jane stood up trying to hide a smile beneath a scowl, "can we go now? Please? My feet hurt, these shoes are impractical!"

Maura smiled at Jane who looked adorable even when complaining. "Your not fighting crime Detective, I think you will survive a little time in heels." Maura put her hand out waiting for Jane to reach it.

"What if I have to chase a bad guy right now Maur? What then? Can't do that in heels." she mumbled as she stumbled along, shuffling slowly in her heels. Maura knew that Jane would milk the injury for a while, but it was worth it seeing her in that dress. A memory Maura knew she would hold onto forever.


	20. Chapter 20

_Greetings everyone! I just wanted to take another moment to thank everyone for following the story and leaving any reviews. I know I have said this before, those little emails letting me know someone is reading the story, and/or leaving their opinion on it make me smile each and every time!_

_I am also sorry that I didn't post an update; I know I said I would post an update a day, but I didn't have a chance to post yesterday. So here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it! Much love and thanks again for reading! _

JPOV

Two days later Jane was doing her best to not fidget. She had nothing to do. She could have no real direct contact on the case; she could only overhear Korsak discussing details of the case, and mumble her own opinions on direction. It was driving her crazy. In turn, her constant sighing and fidgeting was driving her partner crazy. She needed something to do, but going down and bothering Maura again was not an option. She was busy trying to keep Dr. Pike in line, he was more than a handful and incredibly sloppy compared to Maura's work.

"Jane!" Korsak gruffly yelled her name. He stared at her blankly, having run out of ways to tell her to stop distracting him with her constant movement.

"What?" She replied just as agitated.

"Go get a coffee or something will ya? How's a man supposed to get any work done around here with all that goin on?"

"I don't know, lets ask one when we find one." She replied getting up stretching. It was hardly any fun making Korsak when he didn't put up any kind of resistance.

Jane was just about to leave the office to roam the halls again when she heard the familiar click-clack of Maura's heels. Her stomach flipped immediately at the thought of seeing her. She watched the doorway expectantly, but was disappointed when the person to walk through the door was Dr. Pike.

He was breathless as Maura filed in behind him smiling. "I cracked it!" He yelped excitedly "I cracked the case!" Maura rolled her eyes. "I was looking for fibers on the lower half of her torso, and I found a small bit…"

"Of track." Jane finished his sentence looking at Maura; she could tell that this victim bore the same markings as the first just by looking at her. She was flush with excitement, her eyes shining brightly, radiating with information she was brimming to tell. She was surprised she could keep her mouth closed this long.

"Whoa? Well, yes, but how did you know?" Dr. Pike looked deflated, his thunder stolen.

Korsak sighed, "because it was on the first victim" he stated wearily, "Do you have anything new?" he asked looking past him at Maura.

"Actually yes" Maura responded, "While this victim bore the same type of assault marks, her wounds were especially gruesome. Whoever did this, was sloppy in his assault. It speaks of someone who lost control Jane. X-rays show severe breakage" Maura pulled an X-ray out of the file, "she had contusions all over her body." Maura sighed heavily, "her legs were shattered, She was kicked and punched, raped, then stabbed repeatedly, she lost lots of blood, and finally succumbed to her wounds."

"He broke her legs, that's different." Jane repeated quietly, allowing the information to soak in. "She must have been stronger, he needed a way to control her."

"Jane…" Maura hesitated looking down, "I think…I think this was a message." Jane looked at her, knowing what she was thinking long before she actually voiced anything. He was sending a message to Maura, about his power, about his ability to control. And she was his main target.

Maura didn't look at anyone in the eye; Jane realized she was hiding something, so she made an excuse to go down with Maura to her office to see if she could pry the information out of her.

"What is it Maura?" Jane asked immediately upon entering Maura's space, knowing she was holding back. Jane knew Maura was probably waiting for confirmation of something scientific before wanting to share the information. "Whatever it is, it might help Maur, even if your guessing, I need you to tell me what it is."

She hesitated. Jane knew she didn't want to speculate, didn't want to say anything she wasn't positive of. "There is one more thing, but I am still waiting for analysis to confirm. There was…another residue, on her skin. Alumina and germanium oxide."

"What the hell is that?" Jane started pacing her office, waiting for the information to click in, "dumb it down Maur."

"I think its oxide glass based on its is composition of 90% alumina and 10% germanium oxide. Its extremely clear glass, used for fiber-optic wave-guides in communication networks. You see, light loses only 5% of its intensity through 1km of glass fiber..." Maura was in her own world again.

"Come on Maura! What does it mean?" Jane had no idea what she was talking about or how it related to the case.

"I speculate that she was at some point in a production factory with these components in it, some type of fiber-optic manufacturing warehouse." Maura smiled, flushed a little with the excitement of her discovery.

Jane immediately went to her computer, if there was such a factory in the area she might be able to pinpoint its location and they would have a starting point for a new search. She opened up Maura's laptop but stopped as the screen came on. "Really Maur?" Jane asked pointing to the image.

Maura blushed as she realized she had been caught shoe shopping. "It helps me relax," she said softly through a smile.

Jane laughed, "What? Captain Amazing isn't cutting it for you?" Maura just sighed in response. After a few minutes of searching Jane found something. "I think I got something, here," she pointed to the screen showing Maura. "I'm ganna go check it out."

"Not without me your not." Maura instantly chimed in. Heading for her bag.

Jane looked at her astonished, "You're kidding right? You wanna come with me, when he's after you. How does that in any way sound like a good idea?"

Maura returned a cool even gaze, "Your not supposed to be working this case, remember. How would Cavanaugh feel if he found out you were exploring leads on your own? Hmm?" they stared at each other for a minute, each weighing the pros and cons, neither wanting to give in to the other before Jane finally gave in, nodded, and walked out the door with Maura in tow.

MPOV

They pulled up a short while later to a dark factory, Jane turned off her headlights and rolled down the window as she rolled to a stop in front of the main entrance. The building had long been vacated, and although it was for sale; it was apparent to Maura that it would need to be torn down and a new one built before this property would be useful again, the property was in no way going to pass a building inspection.

They sat like that for a few minutes both staring at the immense building that lay before them trying to decide what their next move would be. Suddenly, in the distance a piercing scream tore through the silence causing Maura and Jane to jump. Jane immediately got out of the car, Maura followed before Jane turned to stop her. "Where are you going? Stay in the car."

"No, I'm going with you, I'm not leaving your side." Maura refused to be relinquished to the car; Jane was about to argue when another agonizing scream tore through the air. "Besides, I can help, she might need medial assistance Jane!"

Maura saw the vein in Jane's neck bulge as she realized she had to take Maura along. Jane let out a growl of frustration as she spit out, "Fine, stay close to me and do what I say." Maura nodded following silently behind as Jane lead them through a side door instead of the front. She paused for a moment appearing to weight a decision in her mind. She pulled out her phone and called for backup. Korzak would be there momentarily, but Jane wasn't about to wait for him to arrive.

Inside the building it was dark, and Maura had to struggle to see anything, even Jane. She reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder feeling Jane go rigid at her touch. "Let's just give it a second for our eyes to get a little more accustomed. You know light reaches the pupil at a rate..."

Really Maura? Now? Jane whispered in the dark. She felt her body sigh, "can you save that tidbit for when someone isn't in mortal danger?" Despite herself, Maura smiled, Jane exhibited patience for her that no one else in her life had ever shown her.

They moved silently through one room and then another, Jane lead the way fearlessly through the abandoned building; and despite the fact that Maura knew she could not see any better than her, she commanded her way through the first floor with such gut determination Maura was glad she was following Jane blindly in the dark over any other person in the world. The air was broken again by another scream, it sounded so close that Maura could have sworn that she was right in the room with them.

Jane paused, and turned to Maura, "Stay here, and don't move. I need to move quickly and I don't want you in any more danger than I already put you through." Maura felt a tightening in her chest as fear raced through her for the first time. She nodded silently to Jane who walked off mumbling to herself about Maura being in the building and not waiting for backup outside.

Maura waited silently, not wanting to move in fear of attracting whatever was causing those horrible screams toward her. She took stock of where she was, a small room with a blacked out window that allowed just enough light in to let her know there was a desk and possibly a few chairs sharing the space with her. Another scream off on the distance, but something felt odd about this one, Maura's mind replayed the sound trying to understand the reason why her brain told her something was off about the sound. Suddenly a door slammed followed by pounding and a muffled shout, it was Jane. Something was wrong. A few moments went by before Maura picked up another indistinguishable sound: footsteps. Heading towards her.

Maura couldn't move, she couldn't breath. She could hear someone moving, shifting position in the dark surrounding her; but despite her eyes wide with panic she couldn't make out anything. She knew she wasn't alone anymore but she couldn't get her body and mind to connect. Her head was screaming at her to leave, run, get out; but her body refused to cooperate. Frozen in fear it just stood there listening as the soft shuffling came closer, echoing in her ears.

It took a full minute before she realized that the shuffling noise of footsteps was replaced by the soft panting of someone standing near her. Her mouth dry, she tried to yell for Jane, but it caught in her throat before any noise could escape. Suddenly a dark figure stood before her and she screamed "JANE!" before fully registering what was happening. Off in the distance, it seemed so far away, she heard Jane's frantic response as she was looking for her. The figure loomed closer to Maura, not saying a word, just slowly taking its time in closing the distance between them. Maura's mind worked overtime trying to find something to protect herself, to stop the space from shrinking between her and the figure. But she saw nothing in the dim light. Nothing but the faint glimmer of metal in what she assumed was his hand.

His musk overwhelmed her senses, the smell of stale cologne combined with the natural metallic smell of someone who spends too much time outdoors enveloped the room and she felt dizzy at its proximity.

Before she had time to respond his hands where grabbing at her shoulders pulling her towards another room. Maura could do little to fight back, her feet felt like cement blocks had been attached and her mind spun at the scenario playing out in front of her, "Jane!" she cried out again before she felt his hand clamp over her mouth.

"One more sound Doctor, and your Detective friend will be the next to end up on the table in your office." the voice breathed on her from the darkness, displaying a silver handgun to her wide eyes. She nodded slowly; trying to make sure he saw her response for fear of Jane getting hurt because of her. "Move!" came his response as he pushed her further along.

Suddenly someone burst through the door they were heading in knocking both of them onto the ground. Maura felt the breath rush out of her as the force of someone knocking her down pressed against the force of her assailant's body underneath her. She rolled to the side struggling to breath as two figures struggled blindly in the dark. Maura strained her eyes and could see the dark black main of hair even in the darkness and knew immediately it was Jane that had come crashing through the door. She watched helplessly as Jane and the dark figure fought, making out the sound of fists and legs contacting the other in an epic struggle for control. Suddenly the figure grasped his weapon and pointed it at Jane, who immediately forced the grip towards the ceiling. _BANG! _Within moments shots where being fired in various directions and Maura felt herself respond in slow motion. _BANG!_

The scene slowed in front her, Jane yelling in surprise, the gun being raised, shots whizzing past her. _BANG! BANG! _She tried to process the scene as it unfolded, but too much was happening and her mind was focusing on the wrong details. The glint of the weapon, a Smith & Wesson .45 handgun with an extended clip and an ivory handle. _BANG! _10 more shots in the clip. The smell of sulfur filling the room. _BANG! _Jane's eyes searching, a large gold belt buckle. _BANG!_ The sound of wailing sirens in the distance.

She was moving, no, not moving, not on her own at least. Rather she was being propelled to the next room as another shot rang past her head and logged firmly in the doorway above her. She felt the firm push from Jane's hands as she guided her to another room. Jane was saying something, no yelling. _Focus Maura, get out with Jane _Her mind screamed at her. She pushed through another room as Maura could hear the pounding of footsteps behind them. Jane growled loud as she pushed something in front of the door they just went through blocking it momentarily. Whoever was on the other side started pounding and pushing through the barricade.

Everything was happening in a blur making it hard to focus on any given thing. Suddenly they were outside, and Maura gulped in the fresh air like she was breaking surface after a deep underwater dive. Korzak was at Jane's side demanding answers but all Jane could push out was "inside, gun, go!" With that Korsak led the backup team and they burst through the doors she had just barely escaped from. Jane pulled Maura further away pausing only once she felt they were enough distance from the building. She immediately started running her hands over Maura, checking her for wounds haphazardly.

"Oh my God, Jane!" Maura reached her hand out instinctively, "your face!" she gently checked the wound, a gash had opened up above her eyebrows, superficial damage, but enough to cause her to bleed extensively. The amount of blood caused the nerves down her spine to convulse involuntarily as she realized it was Jane's blood on her fingers.

"I'm fine," she pushed her hand away "but are you..." she hesitated, her voice catching in her throat, "are you ok? Did he hurt you! Touch you?" her face flashed with anger causing her eyes to darken with the intensity. Maura's heart was pounding from everything that had just happened, but Jane fierceness in protecting her caused a familiar stirring in her.

Maura forced herself to slow her breath down, "I'm fine Jane, I'm not hurt, but we need to get you to a medic and have you checked out."

Jane stared at Maura for a moment, causing another chill go through her with the intensity of her gaze. "You do it." Jane's voice was raspier than usual.

Maura laughed, "Jane, I'm not used to dealing with live bodies, I think it's best we let someone who is better at helping live people clean you up. We don't want to ruin that pretty little face of yours." She let her hand brush her cheek as she dropped it, pushing Jane towards the waiting ambulance causing her to yelp in surprise.

"Cool it Maura, I'm a fragile flower here!" She chastised grinning at Maura's playful response.

Korsak came up slowly as Jane, under Maura's watchful eye, had herself cleaned up. "How is she? Still alive?" Jane asked, squirming.

"What did you hear?" Korsak asked plainly.

Maura looked at Jane for a moment feeling uncertain of what had just happened. "Screaming." she shuddered at the memory, still feeling a tug at her conscience over the sound.

Jane stood up pushing away the paramedics hand, "I'm fine, leave me alone." Jane walked towards Korsak, "What is it Vince?"

Vince sighed, and pulled out a small black tape recorder, he pushed play causing the machine to emit the same scream they had heard. "It was a tape recording, there is no victim in there, and whoever it was that you were chasing in there is gone."


	21. Chapter 21

_We are but a few chapters from what we have all been waiting for! Rizzles is on the horizon, I hope you are still hanging in there with me through all the twists and turns. I promise I have a definitive purpose and end result that I am heading towards and hopefully you find it was worth the ride! thanks again for the reviews, thefollows, and of course for reading! _

JPOV

"What do you mean you mean new partner?" Jane screamed, pacing back and forth in Cavanaugh's office.

"Calm down Jane" Cavanaugh sighed gripping his temples. "The doc thinks it'll be better for both of you to split up for sometime, get out of each others heads. Frankly, I agree."

"Thank you so much for THAT opinion!" Jane yelled back furious. "What the fuck? You get one opinion and you just roll the fuck over?" Jane couldn't comprehend what was happening. One moment they're close to breaking a lead on whatever the fuck was after Maura, and the next she gets pulled into the commander's office and is sidelined with the news that she is getting a new partner. " Isthis about what happened? I followed my gut and I was right, he was there."

"Jane…" he sighed.

"Look, this is a good thing for both of you." Rebecca piped in from the corner of the office, in her anger Jane had entirely forgotten she was even there. Jane tried to take a deep breath to calm herself down. "Korsak gets a promotion, and you get to train someone new." She eyed Jane cooley, a sly smile spread across her lips. "Let some of your skill rub off...on someone else."

"Oh come on? Really?" She pointed at Rebecca, "THIS? This is the opinion you're taking? What did you tell Vince?"

"Detective Korsak will know whatever you wish for us to tell him." Rebecca added eyeing Cavanaugh.

"I was thinking it was time he had a promotion, he's been wanting to take the Sergeants exam. Its not that you two can't work together Jane, but you've been reckless lately, maybe some fresh blood will help keep you in line." He stopped for a moment, "Keep you alive for fucks sake." He looked worn down and exhausted. Jane knew she had pushed the department to its limits by investigating the abandoned building on her own, but they had gotten some evidence and she knew that it was worth it.

"I've done extensive research Jane. Talked to everyone, you might say we are just expressing popular opinion." Rebecca finished, letting her hand slide down her legs as she raised her shoulders in what should be a cute quip, but only further caused her to become enraged.

"Jane, we all agree this is for the best." he sighed, knowing that nothing would calm her down.

"Extensive research?" Jane rolled her eyes at the statement. "And we? We? Who the fuck is WE!" she screamed. It took her a full minute to realize whom else he was referring to. Jane exploded again with rage, "FUCK!"

"Yes Jane," I spoke to everyone" Rebecca quipped pausing, "even…your best friend….Dr. Isles" she paused letting the end of the statement hang in the air. "She was quiet on board with this, was very persuasive."

She knew what this was about, and it wasn't about Jane and Korsak being partners; it was about her and Rebecca. She moved quickly towards Rebecca, in her peripheral she felt more than saw Cavanaugh stand up at the suddenness of her movement. Rebecca for her part did not so much as flinch as she stormed up, hands in fists, furry written all over her face. "You have no idea what you're doing here."

Rebecca eyed her coolly, relaxed despite the menace that was threatening, "I assure you Detective, I know exactly what I am doing. And this is for the best, for the department, for Korsak, and for you. Your safety is at the top of my priorities."

"And Maura, she agrees with you?" Jane asked, an ache forming in her soul at the realization she was being outgunned.

The commander gave her a guilty look that confirmed her suspicions. Before he had a chance to say anything, Jane was already heading out the door. He called after her, but she couldn't hear him. She headed straight for the elevator hardly waiting for the doors to open as she reached the basement. Maura leaned over a table finishing what appeared to be paperwork.

Jane didn't say anything, afraid to prove her suspicions correct. Maura glanced up at the sound of Jane, smiling broadly at her presence. How did she always know she was here? "What? You got some spidey sense I don't know about?" Jane found it hard to stay angry when Maura turned her smile on. Maura was about to answer when Jane held her hand up stopping her, "Did you know about this?" she asked pointedly, crossing her arms across her chest. It was more for strength and protection over Maura's usual charms, than a definitive statement. _Don't look at her Jane; it's easier to stay mad if you don't look at her _she told herself.

"Know about what?" _ooh, she is good_ Jane thought, giving Maura her patented death glare causing Maura to blanch at the look. "I...I..." Maura's mouth opened and closed not producing any sounds.

"Korsak and I. You knew and you didn't say anything? How could you Maura?" Jane started pacing her lab, her rage growing with each step.

"What? Oh, well…When she asked me what I thought, I couldn't lie Jane. She made a good point, I had no choice but to agree." Maura's face started to flush as she tried her best to explain.

Jane stopped misstep, still not looking at her. "You what? You...you agreed with her? What do you mean you agreed with her?"

"She asked me what I thought was best for you. I just want to keep you safe. You seemed…distracted lately." Maura shrugged, her expression almost blank except for the confused look in her eyes.

"I've been distracted because of YOU!" Jane burst out, immediately regretting it. There was no positive way for Maura to take her statement, it was either because of her being a victim, or it was because Jane couldn't stop thinking about her. Fantasizing about every inch of her body. Jane's heart hurt, she felt she was losing her mind at the confusing tumble of thoughts screaming in her mind.

"Oh" Jane didn't need to look to know that she had hurt Maura, but in her current state of rage, she tried her best not to care. Maura tried to continue "and after what just happened, I…"

"She asked you, and you agreed." The statement lay flat, it felt wrong coming out of her mouth. How could Maura betray her like that? Jane felt the fury growing, "since when does everyone know what's best for me? I…I thought we were friends Maur." She felt tears stinging her eyes; she refused to let anyone see her like this. Refused to let down her guard, this is what happens when you let someone in, they betray you.

"Jane, please. Let me explain." Maura reached out trying to force Jane to stand still.

"Explain what?" Jane could hardly breath, she felt her chest tighten. "That you, my best friend, agreed to split me and Korsak up. My partner. The person whose life I put in his hands every day."

"Korsak and I" Maura responded meekly. Jane knew she couldn't help herself, but even that was too much for her. She needed to leave, escape. Her world was crashing around her, and she had no control over it. "Jane, I didn't mean…it wasn't my…Look" Maura took a deep breath, "I had no idea she was even thinking of recommending this."

"What the fuck Maura?" Jane tried her best to breath. "This is so fucked up…"

"Jane, I don't understand, what do you mean?" Maura looked confused, trying her best to follow her ramblings.

"What I mean, is that Rebecca is doing this out of spite! Because of me and you!" She spit out, letting the anger consume her again. She knew she was saying too much, but she didn't care.

"Jane…" Maura stopped, trying her best to follow along "I…"

"What's worst is Korsak. He has no idea." Jane paused thinking about her partner, "He's not going to know why. And it has nothing to do with our ability to work together." Jane rubbed her hands together absentmindedly. "You didn't just betray me, you betrayed him as well."


	22. Chapter 22

_I combined bits and pieces of two chapters to make this update, hoping to move the story along a little quicker for everyone. I hope it works as well as I thought it did! Thanks again for reading, fanning, and reviewing! _

JPOV

Jane stared at her screen, the words becoming fuzzy and disoriented as she drifted off again. She hadn't slept well over the past week, pursued in her dreams by a shadow that always held Maura just out of her grasp. She would wake up drenched in sweat shivering, her heart aching at the constant reminder of what she had lost.

She had lost Korsak as her partner, and had effectively pushed Maura out of her life as well. She knew she had lost control when she found out that Maura had something to do with the final decision. Now it felt too late to apologize, she didn't know how to breach the subject so she did what she always did, she ignored it. What she couldn't ignore was the constant pulling in her heart. It did not matter what she was doing, everything reminded her of Maura. What was worst was her usual distracter of work was no longer a viable option as she was pulled from working the only case that mattered to her.

She at least had the distraction of having her new partner here. The three of them sat in the office though, no one saying anything to the other. Every once in a while the sound of keys clacking as one person typed or cleared their throat piercing the air; Jane had never heard it so quiet in the office. The tension in the air was palpable and it caused Jane to itch and squirm with frustration.

Her new partner Barry Frost, was nice, a young cop barely enough time in the drug unit to really get his feet wet. Jane was nice to him despite everything. She knew it wasn't his fault and he had no idea the shit storm he was walking into, but she hardly looked at him despite his trying his best to win her over, showing her whatever new gadget he had acquired. They had spent the last week feeling each other out. Jane was convinced however that he was as useless as the electronic toys he kept playing around with. He was also a huge nerd; talking excitedly about things she had a mere recollection or understanding of from pop culture to comic books.

Korsak on the other hand hadn't really said a word about the changes. She knew he was upset and was trying to test her out, but they were both stubborn and neither would freely admit to the other their true feelings. He had chosen to effectively ignore the new addition and pretend nothing had changed in their dynamic.

Frost cleared his throat one more time "Uh, Jane…" his hesitation killed Jane, she was being a terrible partner, and she knew that.

"What's up Frost?" She responded, trying her best to sound cheery.

"I was just…um…I saw these notes in Dr. Pikes report, and I'm wondering if you could clue me in a little bit? I don't know what some of these terms mean."

Korsak snorted loudly letting his opinion of the new kid be heard, but Jane ignored him, "yeah, sure. It took me a while to get all the terms myself, email me what your looking at and we can go over it together."

Frost clicked away and Jane clicked on the new email that appeared in her inbox. It had no name attached to it, which was strange to her, but their system was shitty, so she paid no attention and clicked on the link she assumed Frost had sent.

Suddenly her computer screen went black. "What the hell…" Jane murmured as she hit the side of the monitor, "What the fuck did I do now?" She hit the machine one more time as it sparked back to life; a bright grey screen was all that she could see instead of the familiar blue background.

"Hello Detective Rizzoli." the computer stated to her, Jane jumped up as the sound seemed to come from out of nowhere. "Can you hear me? Can you hear me Detective."

"What the hell Rizzoli? You got a new computer that talks to you now?" Korsak leaned back in his chair to see what was happening.

"I have no idea what's happening" Jane responded, panicking.

"Hello Detective, remember me?" suddenly in the grey a dark figure appeared. Jane could make no details out, only the faint outline of a shadow. She recognized the shape immediately. "Ah yes, of course you do. The one that got away, right?"

"Holy Fuck!" Jane looked around the room, trying to find the person who was pulling the strings to make this happen, but receiving only blank, confused stares in return.

"I had no intention of getting anyone else involved in my plan to fix the past Jane Rizzoli. But it seems you have forced yourself into my line of sight. Tsk Tsk Tsk…I so had hoped to have Dr. Isles that night. It was perfect you know, I could have finally had her to myself." The voice purred.

Jane felt herself slowly losing control, remembering how close she had come to losing Maura, how close she had come to losing the only person that mattered in her life. A thin line of perspiration formed on her brow. "What the fuck do you want you sick bastard?" She yelled at the monitor, Korsak stood behind her to see what was happening.

"Jane Rizzoli, the superstar detective. Of course it had to be you. What strong beautiful woman I shall add to my collection." She could feel the smile on his face, and she shivered. "Did she like? The way i controlled the last one! I hope you wont be ad

S difficult as she was." the figure sighed, "Well...if you insist on being involved, if you INSIST on infuriating me by denying me what is truly mine. What I DESERVE! After all, she is mine! And I will have her!" His voice raising an octave as his anger grew.

"Don't you dare touch her you sick Fuck!" Jane screamed at her monitor, her anger causing her to tremble. She didn't care about the scene she was making, she was hyper focused on what was happening in front of her.

The shadow stopped and Jane was afraid she had lost him, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lose my temper there." His response was calmer, "She tends to bring that out of me. Oh! Don't bother putting on a show either Detective. Much to my chagrin I can't see your reaction since your precinct is so archaic in technology." He chuckled, "I shall see you both soon Jane. I'm excited to show you my surprises! Oh what a fun game we shall have. I shall have what is mine…oh…what's this? Someone in your precinct actually has a brain? Tsk Tsk…Tricky tricky Jane Rizzoli. Tricky Tricky." With that he was gone. Her screen went black, then back to its familiar blue. Jane and Korsak stood there staring at the monitor, not sure what to do or how to respond.

"I got him!" Frost stood up suddenly causing both Jane and Vince to jump. "I got his IP address!" He was waving a piece of paper in the air.

"His what?" Korsak responded as if it was the first time he had seen Frost, let alone heard him speak.

"His IP Address" Frost repeated staring at both of them, "His computer address?"

"Wait, you know what this was? What happened?" Jane's voice was hoarse, she still didn't fully comprehend what had happened and found it hard to put words together.

"Yeah!" Frost looked at both of them in disbelief, "Wait, you don't?" Their reaction told him everything he needed to know. "He hacked into your computer Jane, found some type of hole in the system and breached it. He couldn't hear or see you because we have no cameras on our systems. So he must have seen the activity on your computer and assumed you were there. He hacked in from a computer that I was able to locate." Frost added proudly.

Things started to click in for Jane; she smiled broadly at Frost, who for the first time had proved his worth to her. "Nice job Rookie!" She smiled as she saw his chest puff up a little. "You might just come in handy after all! Can you pinpoint his address?"

"Yes. I'll need a little bit to work it out because our systems need a little updating. But I think I can tell you exactly where he was sending this from. Only..." Frost paused.

"Spit it out kid, what?" Korsak snapped at him causing Jane to grimace, she knew he was upset because he never lost his patience, even with her.

"He knows we're looking for him. He might not be there when we get there." Frost quickly added.

"Then hurry up." Jane smiled at him winking, hoping it would provide a little boost. Frost sat back down to work through whatever complicated puzzle he had in front of him. It took Jane another minute to realize that if he could have hacked into her computer, he might have access to anyone else's. Without a word she immediately took off, hearing Korsak call after her. She didn't bother to wait for the elevator, opting to run down the stairs, her heart pounding in her chest at the thought that Maura might be in trouble.

MPOV

Maura listlessly got herself ready, not putting much more effort into the actions than she needed to. She knew she should be excited, but what was the point? At the very least she could release some stress, focus on something else besides what was happening in her life. She couldn't really go home to get ready. Her house, much like everything else in her life was being closely watched and guarded by officers. No one knew what to make of the unexpected silence, and since Jane wasn't talking to her, she had no choice but to allow strangers into her home. She preferred to get ready in her office where she knew no one would be watching.

She was putting her heels on when Jane burst into the room. "Are you ok? Where's your computer?" She asked breathlessly. Maura was alarmed at Jane's reaction, unsure of what to make of her entrance or the first words she had said to her in a week.

"Over there," she pointed at her laptop, "Jane, what's going on?" Fear trickled in through Maura's pores. She hadn't seen Jane look so scared or frazzled since they had escaped the abandoned building; it caused her stomach to bottom out at the sense of panic in her friend.

Jane ignored her question merely unplugging the computer from the wall and closing the laptop screen. She stared at the machine for a moment, Maura was unsure what to do or what to say. She just wanted her best friend back. "Jane, I…"

Jane stood up abruptly, causing Maura to take a step back. She looked Maura over, confusion on her face. "Why are you so dressed up for work?" she asked. "Even this is a lot for you."

Maura could feel the blush creep up from her neck. She couldn't find the words for a moment, feeling like she had something to be ashamed of in front of Jane. "I. I have a date. Tonight. With Richard."

Jane did little to hide the look of surprise and sadness in her eyes. She looked exhausted and beaten down and it took every ounce of strength for Maura to not walk over and wrap her up in a hug. She nodded at Maura and turned to walk away, the look of betrayal written plainly on her face again. "I'll need to take this for evidence, I'll get it back to you as soon as possible."

"Jane! Wait! I don't understand!" Maura panicked, she could feel her only chance at having her friend back slip away.

"He hacked into my computer Maura, I think he might have tried the same with yours. I need Barry to check it out." Jane added flatly, not turning to look at her. "Just in case he somehow got into the system, maybe that's how..."

"No Jane, I don't understand you, your reaction." Maura could care less about the computer, or the case. She didn't understand the look of hurt in Jane's eyes; she didn't understand the feeling at the pit of her stomach at her admission to Jane. They weren't dating, and Jane had no ownership over Maura, why was she so upset at her having a date, was this related to why she was angry at Maura. There were so many unanswered questions, and all Maura desperately wanted was answers.

Jane didn't say a word; she walked out, then stopped and added without turning "be safe, we don't know who this guy is. He's good Maura, just...be safe", her raspy voice did little to hide her feelings, but just as suddenly as she appeared she was gone; leaving Maura in her destructive wake. Maura sighed as she sat down, trying to sort through all the feelings she had.

She knew she had feelings for Jane, but Jane was more complicate than anything she had ever studied. She was one moment more affectionate and caring than anyone Maura had ever had in her life, and the next cold and indifferent. The extremes were astounding and it made Maura feel unbalanced, no manner of yoga could realign her after having Jane in her life.

Maura heard the elevator ding as the doors opened but was started when Dr. Clark meandered into her office; Maura had no idea what to make of this woman or her intentions. "Dr. Isles." She greeted her curtly, "I assume you have been made aware of the changes that will be happening?"

"Yes", it was all Maura could muster without feeling emotional. She had lost her best friend over these changes; she didn't need salt rubbed in her wound.

"Excellent, I just wanted to thank you for your excellent recommendation. Bringing someone new to work with Jane was an exceptional suggestion." She eyed Maura, searching for a reaction.

"I don't recall making any suggestion" Maura's mind raced frantically trying to remember every detail of their brief conversation.

"No matter dear, its what Jane thinks now, and after all, that's what really matters. Isn't it?" She cocked her head, letting her message sink in.

"You told Jane….I recommended this?" Maura couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"But you did, remember? I asked if you thought Jane could do better with a new, younger partner. And you said you thought she deserved as much! I mean, you practically picked him out!" Dr. Clark laughed at her own statement. "Anyway, it doesn't really matter now, does it? What'd done is done." She sauntered towards the door leaving Maura standing there with mouth agape.

Rebecca pointed to the fresh bouquet of flowers sitting on her shelf, "Hot date tonight?" she asked raising an eyebrow, "Men only send those flowers when they want a date. I would know, I am thinking of sending the same bouquet to Detective Rizzoli. Perhaps we could double date; Detective Rizzoli and I, and you and whomever your seeing."

Maura let the words hang in the air, not fully grasping what they meant. "I'm sorry?"

"You didn't know?" she played a cool hand, seeming to enjoy Maura's discomfort, "it's not official yet, but I suspect Rizzoli and I will start dating soon, now that the investigation is over. Didn't she tell you?"

Maura's face flushed red as she realized what she was saying, the game she was playing. And that she had lost.

"Oh! That's right, you two aren't talking. Silly me, I forgot!" With that she was gone, and Maura was left alone with her thoughts and angst to keep her company.

Maura was startled by the sound of her cell phone, he was here and she had no choice now but to put herself back together for her date. She grimaced at the thought, suddenly acutely aware that she was not going to be with Jane tonight, or anytime soon. How had things gotten so out of control?

Outside Richard picked her up in a gleaming sports car forcing her to remember her own car was still being processed. The memory of her vehicle brought back the memory of Jane, _God it's going to be a long night_. Maura checked the rear view mirror, and sure enough an unmarked car pulled out after them. Just for one night she'd like to remember what it felt like to feel normal.

They made small talk through dinner. He was so much more subdued that at the party, quieter, more relaxed. It reminded Maura of when they were first together, his quiet confidence, his relaxed nature. He had refused his parents money back then, wanting to make his own way through life, it was a small facet of why Maura had agreed to stay with him for so long. Out to dinner, just the two of them, there was no need to display his masculinity, he was the only peacock on the room and he knew that.

It was an arranged partnership of sorts, her mother wanting to make sure she was wed to a prominent family that could take care of her. She shivered at the memory of telling her mother her plans on ending their relationship after his first infidelity; and her insistence she stay with the man who would chew her heart apart through countless more.

The conversation was light and airy as they caught each other up on the last few years. At least until he brought up the fact that she had spent most of the night talking about Jane. "You know, you talk a lot about her. If I didn't know better, I'd say I was getting jealous!" He joked at one point. _You have no idea_ Maura thought to herself, making a mental note to pull back on the Jane conversation. When it came time for dessert Maura had to once again bite her tongue as she was used to Jane ordering and she 'tasting' whatever it was that she had ordered. Richard looked at her like she had lost her mind when she asked if she could have a taste. He wasn't Jane.

Despite all this, her body was filled with an aching need for human contact. It had been so long since she had felt someone's skin against her own. So when they got back in the car, and he leaned in for a kiss, she didn't protest. She didn't say no when he asked her over. A few minutes later he had driven them back to his place and fumbled through another glass of wine. Maura's allowed him to pull her in for another kiss. Her body was reacting on its own; her mind was nowhere near their conversation or actions.

When his hand rested on her knee, she thought of Jane's long elegant fingers, the texture of her palm being a little rougher than the soft skin of her fingertips; the way they traced their way on the piano. When his lips met hers, she thought of Jane, how her lips must feel when pressed against her own, soft, plump, her own mouth aching with desire. How Jane would have smooth skin, and Maura's would not be offended with the feel of stubble, however soft against her own face.

When his body pressed against hers, she thought of Jane. How her lean muscular frame, soft and hard at once. A dichotomy she relished gazing at, exhibiting both masculine and feminine all at once. At how Jane could be the cause of both her joy and her angst, at how she preferred to feel the pain than nothing at all with the man she was with.

She marveled at how she felt no joy at the closeness between them, she could feel his excitement at having her in his hands, but she did not return it. As things ramped up between her and Richard, his hands snaking through her features, she felt tears stream down her face. The shock of the tears scared her for a moment, as her body recognized her betrayal to Jane long before her mind did.


	23. Chapter 23

_Thoughts? Comments? Please don't hold back! Also, updates will be a little slower, so I'm going to apologize in advance for the delay. Hopefully this will tide you over in the meantime! _

JPOV

Frost proved to be more useful and resourceful than Jane had given him credit for. He had been able to pinpoint the location and they were able to get to there within minutes of having Jane returning from confiscating Maura's computer.

When they arrived at the home, they were lucky to find the remains of someone having haphazardly exited the premise, traces of movement outside washed away by the rain. Jane felt a new surge of energy with the knowledge that they weren't far behind him and they had him on the move.

She was still restless though, she couldn't get her mind off of Maura. Off on some date with 'asshole Richard', and being stalked by some obsessed crazed animal. She was far crankier because of this and her new partner was picking up on those signals. She kept looking at her watch and asking for updates from the team that was tailing her to find out what she was doing and how long she was out on her date. Frost finally had enough after the third time she complained about the fact that Maura wasn't here to help process the scene.

"Seriously Jane? Again?" He asked crossing his arms.

"What?" Jane stood up from her stooped position, already in her defensive stance, embarrassed at having been caught.

"Look, I'm new here, I get that. But if you don't figure your shit out with Dr. Isles, I might just kill you." He stared at Jane, doing his best to read her.

She knew he what he was trying to do so she put her best stoic look on and feigned ignorance, "I have no idea what you are referring to Detective Frost."

"Please!" He rolled his eyes, "you think I haven't noticed the way you look at her? Or how much attention you focus on her? You spend an awful lot of time thinking about someone you are supposedly not talking to or friends with." He added smiling.

Jane knew she was caught, but she refused to give him anything, he barely knew her, but had already picked up more about her than Korsak had, "I assure you I have no idea what you are talking about. She is hardly someone I pay attention too, and…" Jane's phone vibrated distracting her, she quickly scanned the message: _Dr. Isles left restaurant. Not heading home. _"Fuck" Jane mumbled softly without thinking.

"See!" Frost laughed knowing he had caught Jane, "Seriously dude, just go. Deal with this…" he waved his hands frantically in the air in her direction "thing you got going on. I can handle the scene from here, I'll call you as soon as something comes up."

Jane hesitated biting her lip. She didn't want to leave him on their first big break, but she couldn't think about anything except for Maura, and she knew she was making it harder for anyone else to get the job done. Frost stared at her, softly telling her to go, then demanding she leave because she was making it harder to do anything with her constant moping around.

At home though, Jane couldn't sit still. She changed out of her work clothes putting on her most comfortable shorts and t-shirt, hoping the act of changing would help move her mind out of work. She moved aimlessly from room to room in her house trying to get rid of the useless energy she had pent up inside. She was hurt, confused, betrayed; and those emotions came out in a useless anger that kept her shifting items around the home in a halfhearted attempt to clean. She turned on her vacuum cleaner again, for the third time. She knew her carpets where clean, but something about the loud noise always helped her drown out the thoughts she didn't want to focus on.

Suddenly, there was a knock so soft at her door she wouldn't have heard it had her gut not moved her to check. She turned off the vacuum and opened it expecting to find the doorway empty.

She dropped the vacuum cleaner at the sight of Maura standing there, soaking wet from the rain outside and looking miserable. She didn't look Jane in the eyes, but softly whimpered at her.

Whatever anger Jane had been harboring towards Maura quickly disappeared the moment she laid eyes on the honey blond, looking less than polished but for some unexplainable reason even more radiant than usual. She opened the door all the way indicating she should come in. Maura finally looked up as Jane realized that she had been crying. Jane felt panic rise in her again as detective mode took over. She reached for Maura, "did he hurt you? I'll kill that bastard!" Jane couldn't hide the fear and panic in her voice.

"No!" Maura replied pushing her away gently, "He didn't hurt me…you did." she started pacing her living room as Jane took a step back floored by what she was saying. "I just…I can't do this anymore Jane. Since you stopped talking to me, nothing makes sense; I'm confused about what happened between us, I don't know how to fix this. I miss you Jane! I can't work, I can't…I can't keep doing this, and I need my best friend back."

Jane saw Maura's eyes welling with tears again and her heart broke at the knowledge that it was she who was causing her pain. She knew she had treated Maura unfairly, ignoring her attempts to apologize. She stopped Maura's pacing, trying to get her to look at her but she refused, still hanging her head as soft whimpers escaped her throat. She gently lead her to the bathroom knowing she needed to get out of her wet clothes and into something dry before they got into the conversation. Maura followed softly sighing as they went along.

"Sit" Jane commanded to Maura pointing to the countertop. Jane reached for a towel as Maura complied. She started drying Maura's hair gently, trying to find the right words to apologize, trying to find a reason to break the uneven silence that sat heavy before them. "Maur, I...I'm sorry...I" Jane searched for something, busying her hands and masking her anxiety with the towel.

Maura grabbed her arm stopping her actions, her hair a disheveled mess from Jane's haphazard attempt to dry it. "Jane, I know, it's my fault for not telling you." she paused searching Jane's face. _How could she think this was her fault_ Jane wondered silently.

"None of this is your fault Maura, you couldn't help but tell the truth, and to be honest, Frost is a good guy. Smart...really smar"

Maura cut her off, gripping her arm tighter "no Jane, not about that. I mean, I am sorry about that. But I what I meant was that I'm sorry for not telling you how I feel." she searched for words, scanning Jane's perplexed face, who for some reason was all of a sudden having a hard time breathing. "All I know is you're the nicest thing I've ever had in my life. I want…I…" Maura was flustered and Jane couldn't help but smile at the frazzled doctor, who always had something to say. "Its like chinstrap penguins. I feel like, the moment I met you, it was suddenly spring and…"Jane was lost, she had no idea what Maura was talking about, but she needed to apologize while she could get the words out and Maura babbling about penguins was not helping. "Wait, no, that's not what I mean. Barn Owls…"

Jane tried to stop Maura, "Maur, I…" But Maura refused to let Jane sidetrack her.

"What I'm trying to say Jane is that I want...I want to be the reason you smile, I want to be the moment you look forward to all day long. I have been miserable since you stopped talking to me. I wish that you needed me as much as I need you. I wish that..."

Jane didn't really think. She wanted to stop Maura, to tell her how she felt, but the words didn't come. She felt so overwhelmed that her body reacted before she could. She softly leaned in and let her lips silence Maura. Their lips pressed gently against each other; just barely touching but enough to feel her tender lips as they grazed against hers. Jane allowed herself to feel Maura's delicate touch before her mind registered what she was doing and she panicked. She thought her heart was going to stop until she realized that Maura was not pushing her away, but kissing her back.

Jane gripped the counter for support as she let her lips explore Maura's, afraid to breath, afraid she was going to wake up suddenly and realize this was all a dream. Her adrenaline was pounding through her veins as the roar of an engine coursed through her ears drowning out any other sound. She felt lightheaded and for a moment she feared she might pass out.

What brought her back was the feeling of Maura's hands wrapping around her torso and her nails digging into her back as she pressed her closer. The sharp pain brought a smile to her face as she realized that the pain meant she was not dreaming, this was really happening; Maura was hungrily responding to her kiss.

"Ouch..." Jane softly breathed as Maura's grip tightened.

Maura pulled away quickly dropping her hands and leaned back realizing it was her own hands that were causing Jane pain. She smiled sheepishly "So...sorry" she answered breathlessly "I...I was afraid you'd sto..."

Jane leaned into her, not letting her finish, instead engaging her mouth again with her own. They were both panting as soft kisses lead to tongues exploring each other. Jane hesitantly probed at Maura's mouth with her tongue, only to find a willing invitation in return. Maura pulled Jane in closer, wrapping her legs around her body and moaning gently in her mouth at the close contact.

Jane was still gripping the counter, using the cool solid granite for support, certain that her own legs would give way leaving her in a melted pile if she were to let go. They continued this way for a moment, Jane was hesitant to move, break away and risk never feeling Maura's soft kiss again. She raised a shaky hand and softly caressed the soft golden hair, allowing the locks to pass through her fingers; it was like silk despite their dampness. She softly kissed Maura's lips, then her chin, moving her way slowly and methodically along her chin towards her left ear; her shaking hand reached for Maura's wet shirt, slowly pulling at the top button, hesitation written in every inch of her movement.

She wanted to give Maura every opportunity to stop her, to change her mind. She unbuttoned the second slowly, letting her fingers slowly file in between Maura's breasts, slowly letting her fingers glide in between the layers of shirt. Maura inhaled sharply letting out a soft moan, wrapping her legs around her as she pushed herself closer into Jane.

That was all the confirmation Jane needed, she used both hands to unbutton her shirt faster, trying to get the offending fabric off. Maura let the soft fabric slip off her shoulders and pulled back allowing Jane an unprecedented look at her body. Her legs still wrapped tightly around Jane, she leaned back letting her hands run up her torso toward her breasts. The feeling of Maura was exquisite, Jane let out a soft low growl as both the sight and feeling mixed together into an overwhelming sensation. She couldn't hold back any longer, needing to feel every inch of Maura, needing to release weeks of pent up energy and frustration.

She ravenously kissed and sucked Maura's neck letting her hands run across her soft skin, she could feel the goosebumps raise on her arms and back as she took her time reaching her earlobe, kissing and sucking it. Maura in response moaned so loudly that Jane couldn't contain a moan of her own, Maura pressed herself against Jane, her skirt snaked all the way up exposing her thighs to Jane's hungry hands. Jane pulled back, taking in her panting conquest letting her hands slowly glide up her smooth legs. Maura's eyes rolled back as Jane inched closer to her core, groaning softly at the anticipation of her touch. Jane leaned in again; growly asking "couch?" it was all she could choke out, her aching evident in her gruff voice. Maura moaned her response quickly getting up and pulling Jane with her in a mad mixture of kisses.

Jane lumbered to the couch, practically carrying Maura along as her lips slipped to her chin again and followed her jaw line to her neck. She slowly lowered Maura down, careful not to hurt her in the process, she attempted to stand up hoping to take a moment and gain her bearings, but Maura pulled her down causing Jane to yelp in surprise as Maura outmaneuvered her on the couch, pulling her underneath the strong doctor.

Jane reached for her, suddenly feeling the aching emptiness in her arms now that Maura was not in them anymore. But Maura resisted, instead standing up giving a smoldering stare at Jane who was left a wet whimpering mess on the couch. Jane's mouth watered as she watched Maura stand before in her lace bra, slowly unbuttoning her skirt and pulling down the zipper. The slow intent movement caused Jane to twitch with anticipation, she was certain she was staring, mouth agape, drooling even; but she didn't care.

She watched as Maura slowly let her skirt slide down and kicked it off over her shoes, her calves flexing as she moved. Maura allowed Jane to fully take her in. Standing in a perfectly matching light pink bra and panty set. So lacy Jane could see the soft curl of hair underneath it. Maura turned softly letting Jane see the full curves of her body, Jane let out an involuntary groan at the sight, her yearning written all over her body. Maura slowly climbed back on the couch, her body straddling Jane, heat emanating from every inch of her.

She kissed the detectives forehead slowly making her way down. Jane couldn't hold back her anticipation and reached for contact with Maura's skin; but Maura was quicker than Jane as she caught her hands before they made contact and pulled them over her head. She was in complete control of the squirming detective and she was going to take her time despite Jane's protests.

She proceeded on her original path, slowly kissing her way down Jane's face, stopping to kiss her eyes then her prominent cheekbones, then slowly gliding her lips over Jane's; close enough that the detective could feel the slight tickle and soft panting breath; but not stopping until she was again kissing and sucking on her neck working her way down towards her breasts. Jane could see every inch of Maura as she hovered over her until Maura's wet lips and tongue caused her own eyes to roll back and a low moan to escape her lips; her core gnawing at her, begging to feel Maura, begging for contact.

Jane couldn't take it anymore; she lifted her body making brief contact with the unclothed beauty, finally deciding to raise her leg and let her thigh press firmly against Maura's core.

The surprise contact caused Maura's legs to give out and she fell into Jane's grasp with a loud groan that tugged intensely at Jane. She felt Maura grind against her, her hands digging deeper into her own, lost in the feeling of Jane's body as it pressed against her own. Jane stared in awe at Maura who was lost in the sensation Jane was giving her, unable to believe that she was groaning in response to her and grinding against her thigh. She could feel Maura's wetness soak through the thin fabric and wet her thigh and the feeling was excruciatingly wonderful. Maura dug her own leg into Jane's center as they breathlessly rode each other.

Jane let out a feral growl as Maura finally released her hands, she pulled Maura in closer tying her hands in her soft golden hair, letting her tongue softly glide inside her mouth then nipping and sucking at the full lips. Maura moaned in her mouth, pulling roughly at her shirt, her bra barely hanging on as she pressed herself deeper into Jane. She felt dizzy and disoriented by all the action; throbbing as Maura ground deeper into her wet center, both moaning at the contact.

Maura pulled back slightly and Jane froze in fear, she whispered into the doctors ear "Tell me to stop Maura." She was half pleading, not sure if Maura was pulling back from hesitation, or if she was hurting her as she tugged and pulled at the small woman's hair and body. She could feel her pulse bounding as Maura pushed up against the couch, her nipples hard and protruding against the thin piece of fabric, her bra strap slipping from her shoulders. Jane licked her lips, her mind lost in lustful thoughts of Maura's breasts.

Maura leaned in "Your phone" she purred in her ear. Licking the edge of her lobe and sighing happily.

Jane giggled at the sensation, "what?"

"Your phone Jane" Maura produced the small blackberry, "its vibrating."

"So?" Jane breathed into Maura's waiting lips, losing herself in a kiss again.

Maura pushed herself up, her hand pressing against the detectives collarbone, "its distracting, can you answer, please? It might be about the case."

"The what?" Jane throatily responded her voice hoarse and dry from panting. Her head was fuzzy and all she could concentrate on was Maura's supple body sitting on top of her half naked. She leaned in again to kiss Maura but ended up kissing her hand instead. Maura gave her a look that said she wasn't going to continue until Jane answered the demented thing. "Really? Right now?"

Maura nodded her response handing the phone back to Jane who angrily answered, "Rizzoli. What? Now?" she anxiously looked at Maura who was already getting up. "What, no Frost I can handle this." She blushed lightly suddenly lowering her voice "how did you know she was here? Oh…right." She looked up and pouted at the doctor as she pulled her skirt back on. "Yeah, we're on our way." Jane sadly hung up the phone knowing that they had to respond to the call.

"What did they find?" Maura asked as she adjusted the skirt, trying her best to adjust the wet fabric.

"You can't wear that Maur, it's still wet." Jane started to get up but was pushed back down by Maura who climbed on top of her.

"And who do I have to thank for…my wetness?" she breathed her question to Jane, softly grinding herself against her core again. Jane moaned loudly in response, wrapping her arms around Maura who kissed her neck and dug her hands into her untamed black curls. The feeling of Maura on top of her, her hands in her hair was exquisite and it sent chills through Jane's body.

"Fuck Maura" came Jane's breathless reply.

Maura pulled back abruptly, "Jane! Language!" She scolded smiling. "I'm going to…dry up. And change. You might want to do the same," she added standing up and sauntering off to her bedroom. "What did Detective Frost say?"

Jane watched her disappear into her room, suddenly painfully aware of her swollen, throbbing center. She licked her lips trying to control her breathing, "uh, they found something. Wants us to come down" she paused, "I can't remember the rest."

A moment later Maura walked back out of her room in a new dry dress, her hair pulled up into a ponytail exposing her long poised neck. ""I'm ready, lets go" she chirped glancing at Jane who hadn't budged an inch since she left her wanting on the couch.

"Where did you? How did you? I…" Jane's confusion was written all over her face as she tried her best to understand how Maura came out of her bedroom composed and dressed as if nothing had happened. She quickly stood up and for a moment Jane panicked thinking she might have just hallucinated the entire encounter.

Maura read the look on her face and smiled broadly, "I left a bag of clothes in your room after we found that rose on my counter. Just in case."

"An overnight bag" Jane responded, suddenly making sense of what was happening.

Maura smiled, delighted at her own cleverness. She came up to the detective and slowly let her hand slide up her arm until it rested behind Jane's neck. "If we hurry," she kissed Jane's lips softly letting her agonize over the sensation, "I'm sure we could put the purpose of that bag to good use" she leaned in and kissed Jane, who felt her knees weaken at the sensation.


	24. Chapter 24

Hello everyone! Thanks for sticking with me through this journey! I can't tell you enough how much your reviews and follows have warmed my heart and made every update exciting as I await responses and thoughts.

I know I said that I wanted to get this story done before season 3 starts, but it's not looking like that's going to realistically happen. I am wondering if this is a story that you would like to see continued? I have never written a fanfic before, so I am not sure if this is realistically everyone's cup of tea still or if we have lost interest? I would really appreciate any insight and thoughts on how things are progressing, I think if I don't get enough of a response, this will probably be my last chapter/update for this particular story for a while. I def. don't want to leave anyone hanging, so as I finish any other chapters here and there I would do my best to update, but not with the same pressing need as before. I just want to check in and make sure this is still something worth exploring! Thanks again and enjoy!

MPOV

"So…" Jane fidgeted as she breathlessly released the word from her mouth. Maura didn't turn to look, despite this being the first word the detective had said since they had left her house. They were sitting outside the crime scene in Jane's car, the flashing blue and red lights laid the background as people milled about still working on collecting evidence or keeping curious passerby's away. Despite Maura's pressing need to go in and do her job, they had been sitting here in silence, waiting.

Jane took another deep breath, her hands fidgeting with the wheel. "What is it Jane? What's wrong?" Maura finally pressed, she was daydreaming about Jane's hands as they played with the wheel, remembering how they felt on her skin.

"I..." she sighed again, Maura couldn't help but smile at how cute Jane looked right now, trying to get her words out, she fought the urge to lean over and kiss her soft lips. "That...was sudden don't you think?" she finally turned and looked at Maura, confusion and fear written on her face.

Something else was there though; Maura studied carefully her thin dark features for a second before recognizing it. _Ah, yes, there it is, Lust_ she thought, or...is it something else, something more? Maura shook her head softly trying to focus on Jane and not on what she thought she read other face, "I don't think it's sudden Jane, it was only a matter of time until we zeroed in on this guy, he has been very sloppy if you as me."

Jane shook her head chuckling, "no Colombo, I meant…what just happened…at my place. What we…..just did." She looked away again, nervous.

"Jane" Maura paused trying to get her to look at her but failing, "I've been wanting this for a long time. I just" Maura searched for the right words, "I didn't know how to…approach the topic with you. Your not the most open person when it comes to your feelings. Just when I got the courage to do or say something you were dating Rebecca, and then I you were mad at me..." Maura sighed watching Jane's reaction carefully, giving her time to process everything slowly. She didn't know how to explain her feelings to Jane, and she could tell the detective was having a hard time going past the words and focusing on Maura's actions.

"Some detective I am" she mumbled more to herself than Maura, "I didn't know, I would have…" she softly reply as she focused her attention again out the window "done things differently". She gripped the steering wheel tighter again, the muscles in her forearms bulging with the intensity of her grip before she continued "I thought...you were with Richard tonight?"

Maura exhaled sharply, this is not going the way she had hoped, "Jane, let's just go in and get our jobs done. Then we can talk this out, ok?"

Jane blanched a little at Maura's brisk response, "yeah. No, right, makes sense." She started to unbuckle her seat belt through shaky hands as Maura reached for her.

"It wasn't a mistake Jane, and I don't regret it" she pulled Jane's white v-neck shirt drawing her closer, their faces inches apart, "I've wanted you. This, for a long time." Jane met her gaze and for a moment both of them stopped breathing as they thought back to the way they each had responded to the others touch.

"Me two" came Jane's soft reply. They stared at each other for another moment, Maura fighting the urge to kiss Jane, to climb on top of her again and feel her body tense beneath her. She broke away and forced herself to silently climb out of the vehicle before she did something they might both regret.

Jane got out as well and led the way to the house, finding her new partner Frost and Korsak waiting for them impatiently "Seriously? What took you guys so long?" Frost smirked as he eyed Jane and Maura.

"I was busy looking over applications for a new partner Frost, why? What have you been doing this whole time besides fuck up and need me to come rescue you?" Jane scowled at them trying her best not to look at Maura, who couldn't turn her gaze away from the detectives swagger.

Maura inhaled sharply, "Language Jane!" she hissed to Jane as she grabbed her arm. Jane was the same to everyone, irrespective of who they were, but Maura feared she might be starting out a little to gruff with her new partner.

Frost smiled his response to Jane, "you gatta see what we found" he indicated excited to Korsak who hadn't said a word but was instead studying Jane and Maura as they walked up. Jane nodded at him, but he just shrugged as he nodded back. They all went to the back of a house, Maura filing behind Jane so she could admire the detective from behind when suddenly they stopped at a sewer drain. It looked out of place, almost in the center of the yard. Suddenly a crime tech popped out of the hole as they approached it, carrying out a small bag.

What caught Maura first was the overwhelming scent; she recognized it immediately as the same scent that had emanated from the flowers she had been receiving. It wafted out of the hole and made her stomach churn, she wasn't sure she could hold it together long enough to process everything. She felt her knees get weak as the smell grew stronger, she felt a sudden light pressure on small of her back and turned to see Jane standing next to her, lightly reassuring her with her touch. Korsak took a deep breath then went down first slowly pausing at the entrance to take another deep breath, and then Frost followed. Jane motioned for her to go next, but she hesitated, suddenly afraid of being in an enclosed space with that scent.

"You ok?" Jane asked searching her face for something only she would understand. Maura smiled weakly and nodded, she needed to go down there and do her job, she knew that, but it still didn't make it easy.

At the bottom of the stairs Maura let out a small gasp as she looked around an expanse space. "Pretty amazing right!" Frost indicated to the room after seeing her reaction. "We aren't quite sure what this was before, but...it's pretty apparent what it's used for now."

Maura surveyed the space, feeling the humidity stick to her dress as Jane came down the ladder, "it used to be a fall out shelter" she stated in her usual matter of fact tone, noting the lead and concrete frame.

"A what?" Jane asked seeing the room for the first time.

"Like an air-raid shelter," Frost added smiling "Cool!"

"No, that's not right, an air-raid shelter is specifically designed to withstand bomber planes dropping bombs, predominantly used during World War Two. This is obviously a fallout shelter, I believe this one was built sometime in the 1960's." Maura slowly walked around staring at the ceiling looking for small details no one else would pick up, "see the piping work? And the aging of the concrete? This was probably built during at the height of the cold war. The thick walls were specifically designed to block out radiation from fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion." She looked at the other three, they all stared at her with quizzical looks on their faces so she continued, "during a Nuclear explosion matter that is vaporized is exposed to neutrons and absorbs them becoming radioactive, when it condenses and becomes rain the resulting material is highly radioactive emitting alpha and beta particles as well as gamma rays." She glanced again at the ceiling suddenly squealing in delight, "Oh! Look a Kearny Air pump!" She pulled a rope as everyone immediately felt the resulting effect as cool air was pumped into the room.

"Alright Doctor Manhattan, we get it, it was a fall out shelter." Jane laughs as she looks around slowly taking in the place. She pulls at her jacket, "kind a humid for a shelter though".

"I think you mean Szilard" Maura responded without turning around, "Oppenheimer is best known for leading the Manhattan project, but it was Leo Szilard who actually realized the potential of nuclear energy as a weapon."

"Thanks for that tidbit Maur, I'll be sure to file it away for the next time I make a crack at you in a fallout shelter" Jane responded rolling her eyes. Maura loved it when she made a crack at her; it let her know she was actually listening to what she was saying instead of just drowning her out like everyone else does.

Maura took in the rest of the space, two rows of shop lights hung from chains in the center on top of rows of plants, all roses. Maura pointed at the lights, "High pressure sodium lights, helps increase the output of flowers due to the emission of yellow, orange, and red spectrum rays."

"What was he doing here?" Korsak asked picking up a syringe.

"Genetically modifying roses," Maura answered carefully handling the bud of one of the roses on the table. She watched Jane carefully over the flowers on the table as she bent down and inspected some items on the floor. She licked her lips watching the taunt muscles flex as Jane stood up, then stooped over again giving her a clear view of Jane's strong back and behind. Maura couldn't help but smile as she remembered wrapping her legs around that body, and feeling those strong thighs press against her core.

"Is that even possible?" Korsak responded, "sounds like something out of a science fiction novel!" he scuffed.

Maura cleared her throat trying to focus again, "genetically modified food crops have been artificially engineered for years, and they essentially create a completely new species that never existed before by breeding plant species together." Maura picked up a tray of tubes reading the labels; she tried to contain a gasp causing Jane to immediately make her way over.

"What? What is it Maura? What are you seeing?" Jane made her way around the table standing incredibly close to Maura, a light sheen on her forehead.

"He's..." Maura swallowed heavily finally looking at Jane, "He's trying to combine human DNA with the flowers. His DNA. I think it's his scent they are emanating, his created scent, not the rose." Maura tried to understand how this was possible, plants can only be breed with their own species, she had heard of human/animal species trying to be combined, but what was the point of combining human and plant genomes?

Jane knitted her brow together looking at Maura, "Korsak, take the lead here and get this evidence back to the lab. Frost, I want you to go through every case that Maura has assisted in before she became the head M.E. And you," She pointed at Maura, "I'm dropping you off at home." Jane started heading towards the ladder, not waiting for anyone to respond.

"What are you thinking Jane?" Frost asked not used to Jane's method.

Jane paused turning around slowly, "When he hacked the computer, he mentioned he needed to remedy the past. He's genetically modifying plants to smell like him. He's targeting Maura specifically. I think he's someone linked to one of her old cases." She added with a flourish, hating to explain herself.

"What do you mean he mentioned to you?" Maura was lost as to how Jane had spoken to this mystery man.

"I told you, when he hacked my computer, he threatened me and mentioned he was going after you to fix the past or something" Jane waved her hands in the air trying to get Maura to piece the pieces together quicker. Maura reeled back, why didn't she know about this? Why didn't Jane tell her he had threatened her? Jane was dealing with her own protection while a team of people all with the goal to protect her was following Maura.

"You didn't tell me he spoke to you!" Maura responded, her need for understanding getting the best of her.

"Its fine Maur" Jane responded softly averting her eyes.

"Alright, lets get this done," Frost clapped his hands startling everyone "I'm sure I've got a lot of cases to go through" Frost didn't wait for Jane to climb up, instead bumping ahead of her.

"Great! I get the smelly job as usual" Korsak complained as he watched him climb up the ladder. Jane smiled softly as she followed suit, Maura paused trying to understand everything that was happening before following behind.

"Jane!" Maura called out after the detective, "what do you mean drop me off at my house? Where are you going?"

Jane put a finger up indicating she was on the phone; Maura stopped mid-stride watching Jane as she hung up sighing heavily. "We got another body, I guess we don't get a signal down there and they've been calling us for a while. Lets go." Maura nodded still confused over the course of events that were happening, but knew it was better to wait for now than to bother Jane for answers.


	25. Chapter 25

_**Hallo! Thank you for leaving a message and letting me know that you want to continue this story! I appreciate it soo much knowing that there are people who still want to read it. Especially since this is my first attempt at writing fanfiction, I was really unsure how it was being perceived and if it was worth the continuation. Your kind words, thoughts, and adding it to your story alerts have meant a lot to me! I had really planned on taking this story in one direction, but I am inspired to change course a little bit, I am already working on the next two chapters, so updates should resume pretty quickly again! **_

_**Again, thanks for sticking with me, and let me know your thoughts on the progression! Hopefully my change is for the better ;) OH! Before I forget, the image I am using (new feature, I hope I am doing it right) I do not own it, someone else made EXACTLY what I wanted to do, but better than any attempt at photoshop would have wielded for me! :D **_

JPOV

They rode there in silence again, Jane was doing her best to digest everything that was happening around her, having trouble getting all the facts straight. It was more than halfway into the car ride before Maura suddenly reached for her hand, not turning to look at her. Maura's warm hand squeezed her own, and she smiled at the silent gesture. She let her fingers glide over the soft skin, trying to avoid Maura's delicate texture from rubbing against her rough scar. It was a constant reminder of her imperfections, of how little she deserved someone soft and sophisticated like Maura. She was proud of her scar, for surviving, but pitted against Maura, it was a constant reminder of her blue collar nature. "Jane" she whispered, staring at the long lithe fingers as they responded to her touch.

"hm?" Jane fidgeted in her seat at Maura's touch, she bit her lower lip as Maura traced haphazardly across her hand, then up her arm.

"What did you mean when you said that your computer was hacked?" Jane knew she was trying to distract her, hoping she would give her the answers she was looking for. What she probably didn't know is how distracting even the slightest touch from her was, or how much it actually affected her.

Jane shivered as Maura moved her left hand to Jane's thigh as her right hand continued to be held in her lap. "He, uh, I'm not exactly sure how he did it, but he broke into my computer to send me a message" she rushed out the last part gasping slightly as Maura moved her hand up further, smiling at Jane's reaction.

"Send you a message? How? And what did he say?" Maura moved in closer purring in Jane's ear

Jane's eyes rolled back slightly at the sensation, suddenly swerving to miss the curb, "Jesus Maura!" She growled out, "I can't concentrate when your soo…you!" She scowled at Maura's grin, hating that Maura could affect her so dramatically.

"I can't help it Jane" Maura responded automatically, "your so irresistible, and incredibly easy to…"She let her hand slip in between Jane's thighs feeling her body tense at her touch, another growl escaping her lips.

"Fuck Maur" she moaned softly at Maura's touch grinding her center against Maura's hand.

"Language Jane," Maura softly responded smiling. Jane tried to compose herself, not wanting Maura to know how much she affected her, not wanting to give anyone an edge over her. Despite how much she actually cared about Maura, letting down her guard was not something she did easily.

They pulled up to an underpass to soon for Jane who couldn't stop thinking about Maura's hand and its location on her leg. It had been corded off with police tape, the early morning hour punctuated by the flashing lights as they bounced off the concrete. Jane surveyed the space, it was private enough, easy to dump a body and leave without being noticed. She sighed heavily knowing that they weren't going to have any witness's for this body either. She hoped that they had misread the scene, and it was a natural death. She had had enough of murder and intrigue for a while.

Jane watched Maura carefully, noticing her reaction, concern imbedded in her eyes. She was worried about Maura, she had long ago grown accustomed to being in the line of fire for perverts and psychopaths, but Maura has never had to face this type of fear. She's never been directly in the line of fire and Jane was worried about how she was handling the latest threat. "You know Maur, you don't have to be here. Pike is here, and he can obviously handle processing this scene." She indicated to Dr. Pike's car, an old station wagon parked just outside the police markers.

"I'm fine Jane, just tired" Maura smiled at Jane's concern, she hoped Maura knew her concerned stemmed from a deeper place than just friendship. Now that her feelings were out, now that she had had a chance to feel Maura, hold her, she didn't want to risk losing her and feeling that emptiness again.

They walked up to the crime scene together, Jane taking in as much information as her exhausted brain could process. On the ground lay a young brunette, blood pooled around her in deep red puddles, _this is new_ Jane thought to herself. The body had the similar attack markings on the body. Maura grimaced as she saw Dr. Pike leaning over the body taking notes. "Good morning Doctor" Maura smiled sweetly. Jane hoped they had caught the grumpy doctor in a good mood.

"What's so good about it? Huh?" He grimaced at both Maura and Jane, "Amazing that you even showed up Dr. Isles! I figured you would have left the grunt work to the minions."

Jane rolled her eyes, "what is it with you and minions? Are you some evil mastermind we don't know about?"

"HA! Doubtful!" He growled at Jane, thinking he had her beat.

"I'll say" Jane winked at Maura who couldn't suppress her grin. Jane walked around the body as Maura bent down opposite Dr. Pike. "What's she holding in her hand?" Jane asked pointing to the woman's left hand.

Dr Pike reached with his own hand for the item as Maura reached for tweezers, she frowned as she watched him wretch the hand open and pull out a piece of paper. It amazed Jane that they were both in the same field, despite how different their practice was. "It says: Your Turn" Dr Pike read allowed shrugging his shoulders. He threw the piece of paper into an evidence bag and handed it to Jane who carefully studied it.

Maura softly gasped looking at a look of terror

Jane noticed that Maura was fixated on the victims face, the curly long hair, strong jaw line, her long limbs stretched out on the pavement. She looked so much like herself, she worried that Maura could see the resemblance. Something about the face didn't match up though; her jaw line didn't match up evenly. She indicated to Maura that something didn't match up, they had progressed to not needing words to communicate; just staring at Maura's eyes was enough for her to read here face and know what was on her mind. Maura's eyes confirmed they were on the same page this time, following her gaze to the jaw line. She watched as Maura pulled on a set of gloves before forgetting that she shouldn't be touching the body. "Dr Pike, have you checked her mouth?"

He scoffed his response; "it would be great if you could stop interfering in my job, I'm obviously capable of..." He pulled open the victims mouth, "What the hell?" His voice trailed off as he reached in.

Jane felt her stomach bottom out and her knees almost buckled as she the breath knocked out of her. The scent reaching her nasal cavity, faint she was sure to everyone else, but overwhelmingly powerful to her and Maura. She felt the world spin around her as he pulled out the soft white petals. An entire white rose had been stuffed in the victim's mouth, the message was clear. He was no longer just after Maura; he had also set his sights on Jane.


	26. Chapter 26

_Hopefully the length of this chapter will bring a smile to your face, and tide you over while I prep the next update!_

MPOV

Maura paced listlessly in her office, clenching and unclenching her fists absentmindedly. Jane had dropped her off after the crime scene was done being processed. She knew that Jane was worried about what was happening with the case, but every time Maura tried to breach the subject she would turn the radio on a little louder; her silent cue she didn't want to talk about it. Maura had grown increasingly frustrated at the detectives actions, they had so much to talk about and right now she didn't need the silent treatment.

She wanted to talk to her best friend, process everything that was happening. More than anything, she wanted to know that everything was going to be ok. She sighed mimicking Jane's familiar behavior of running her hand through her hair. She glanced through the open door at Dr Pike performing an autopsy on the latest body. She could see her staff rolling their eyes at his eccentric behavior and smiled softly to herself, she was almost glad he was here; she had never received so many compliments and praises from her staff then when he was in her autopsy room.

She closed the door and glanced at her watch again, she was waiting for the note that had been left in the woman's hand to finish drying after she had laced it with the DFO chemical. She hadn't told anyone, but she was hoping to find a latent fingerprint on the clean but crumbled piece of paper, perhaps he had been hasty in writing the note and his sweat had left behind a hidden clue. She had another 15 minutes before she should check on the paper, but it was hard to not double and triple check her work; she breathed deeply forcing her body to relax. Today was not her day for patience.

Huffing, she dropped her body into her chair staring listlessly at the open door opposite her desk. She allowed herself to silently hope that Jane would burst through as she normally does, a huge smile on her face. Lately it was the only thing in her life that consistently made her feel better, she was the only thing in her life that made her feel whole. She didn't want to think about Jane right now though, she needed to focus on the life threatening situation she was involved in. Drumming her fingers on her desk, mindlessly checking her watch again she couldn't think of anything else. She allowed her mind to drift again to Jane. It had been hours since she had seen her and she still didn't know how she felt with everything that was revolving around them.

Dealing with ambiguity was not her strong suit and lately thats all her life has been. It was a far cry from her previous life, her life before Jane Rizzoli. Where things fit neatly into an organized schema that she could understand and control. Family was not loud or messy, they did not fight or confront. Friends were not aggressive, or permanent; they did not elicit romantic feelings or delve to deeply beneath the carefully constructed layers she had worked all her life to construct. And lovers, well; they did not make her forget to breath or make her knees weak with a simple touch or a smile _God she has a gorgeous smile_ Maura mused to herself. No, the men in her life, unlike Jane, were disposable figurines that came and went with little regard to anything long term.

She looked again at the counter where the note was drying and she had everything laid out perfectly. Order; the mere thought of it made her feel serene. Everything in her life was classifiable, categorical. Everything in her life, from her family to the men she slept with, fit in their compartments easily. Jane however, refused to be sorted, organized, or filed away. She insisted on demanding attention, refused to fit wherever Maura tried to place her. She was the anomaly in her life, and it drove her deliriously crazy.

Maura tried to hide her smile underneath her fingers as she thought about Jane's reaction to her in the car. The way her muscles tensed as she slowly ran her fingers up her thigh. Maura felt a familiar twitch in her own core as she remembered the same leg digging into her body. She had lost control the moment Jane's thigh reached for her. Losing all function in her legs as they gave way at Jane's gratuitous touch. She shuddered as she remembered their bodies grinding into each other. She was surprised at her own bodies reaction, recognizing how little control she actually exhibited to Jane's touch. She was used to being turned on by her lovers, but not like with Jane, she could hardly contain herself with Jane. She sighed again picking up her phone, this time not to check the time, but to send Jane a message, "Hey". She sent the simple message and put the phone down, not sure what else she should say. It was Jane's usual greeting, not Maura's; but she couldn't think of anything else to say, anything else to break the tension that laid between them.

A moment later Jane's response caused her phone to vibrate shocking her out of her own thoughts, "Hey back, how ya holdin up?"

Maura smiled, she didn't bother to correct Jane's grammar, having been explained once already by Jane that when you text, grammar doesn't count. She paused thinking, allowing herself for just one moment to actually take stock of her situation. She had never been directly threatened, never been in the line of fire. And yet here she was, the direct focus of some unknown threat, and yet she felt confident and secure that she would be fine. She had Jane on her side. Protecting her, watching over her. For now that felt like enough, and thinking about the situation felt overwhelming, "ok, just thinking..."

Jane responded before Maura could put the phone back down, " thinking? about?".

Maura sighed, she was overwhelmed with thoughts, she was scared for her life, for Jane's; she was worried about never finding out who was causing all this to happen, she was concerned about losing her friend now that their feelings were out there hanging in some abyss neither had control over. She bit her lower lip, typing out her response slowly, "Y. O. U."

Jane didn't respond right away, the wait causing her to feel nerves through every inch of her body, her stomach tumbling as she nervously continued to bite her lip wondering if she had once again crossed a line. She was just about to text an apology when her phone vibrated in her hands, "Me 2" was her response. A huge smile attached itself to Maura's lips. She looked around the room self consciously before forgetting she was alone with only her thoughts. Her thoughts and Jane's messages.

Maura: You're thinking about yourself? Or me?

Jane: REALLY? You need to ask? U of course, I havnt been able to stop.

Maura: Specifics please.

Jane: I'm thinkin about last night...you...wet...

Maura: It was raining Jane.

Jane: Thats not the wet I was referring to...

Maura: JANE!

Jane: I can still feel your body on top of mine

Maura: This is...inappropriate...don't you think?

Jane: Not anymore inappropriate than what I'm thinking of...

Maura: I'm intrigued

Jane: I'm wet

Maura gasped as she read the message, her face blushing as she recognized the same thoughts were creeping through her own mind. She quickly stood up, recognizing the same arousal soaking in between her thighs, her core aching for Jane's touch again. She crossed the room and plugged in the iron and stared at it while she waited for it to warm up, her mind drifting to Jane's message; to her own thoughts of a strong, impressive Jane Rizzoli on top of her.

Jane burst through her door so suddenly that Maura almost dropped the iron. "You didn't answer my message", she burst out breathing heavily, pausing only when she realized what Maura was holding. "Is that? Are you holding an iron? Fuck that is kinky Maur." A slow smile spread across her lips giving away her intent at humor unintentionally.

"What? Language Jane!" Maura felt a deep warm blush spread across her face as recognition hit her. "No, I...I need the heat Jane" she couldn't stop herself from stuttering as she took in the out of breath detective. She was amazed that she had never noticed how her muscles flex as she strut around her office, how her eyes grew darker when she was aroused.

"I can provide all the heat you need" Jane stepped closer, her raspy voice dropping an octave.

Maura could feel her breath hitch, she couldn't focus as Jane moved in closer. A familiar feeling overcame her, the feeling of being stalked. A feeling of being prey to the hungry eyes of Jane. "Its for the note" She offered meekly, not trusting her voice to be any louder.

"Hmm" Jane offered back, suddenly slacking in her prowess. "The one in the victims hand? The one meant for..."

"Don't!" Maura suddenly felt herself shout out, her hands shot up as if she could physically stop the room from caving in on her. She couldn't handle hearing the truth out loud; that Jane was in danger because of her. "Please don't" she pleaded, her eyes full of fear as she watched Jane retreat slowly, allowing herself to lean against her large wooden desk. Maura focused on how Jane's olive skin matched perfectly against the dark grain of the wood, how her long form leaning against the structure looked perfectly masculine and feminine at the same time. It turned her on to see a relaxed Jane, in comparison to her own ball of nerves. "I just can't. I can't hear it right now Jane" She knew she was storing away these feelings, not trusting herself to deal with the situation in the moment.

Jane met her gaze and for a moment Maura forgot to breath. She was surprised by how intense Jane's gaze was. How much her eyes could speak to her despite her face being trained to not give an inch away. She knew that despite the years Jane had spent training herself to not give away an ounce of emotion, her eyes spoke volumes to Maura's attuned eyes.

Jane fidgeted slightly, the movement lost to anyone but Maura. "Is this" she paused breathing deeply, for the first time Maura realized that Jane was nervous, and this realization brought a soft smile to her face. "Do you think that maybe, just maybe, your? This is happening because of...because of the threat?" Jane blurted quickly rushing the sentence out into the still air that lay between them.

"What do you mean? I don't understand your question" Maura responded back, suddenly gripping the edge of the countertop she was leaning against. She didn't want to think about the implications of what she was feeling towards Jane, she didn't want to think about consequences or misguided actions. She didn't want the possibility that Jane could see her desperation to ignore the inevitable by focusing on her incredible body as an escape.

Jane cocked her eyebrow at her trying her best to hide her nerves, "What I mean is, do you think that maybe this isn't real? Maybe its just a response to the case? To being in danger? What we did, how you...feel?"

Maura paused a moment reflecting on Jane's question; letting it lay thickly before them before she would answer it. "Your referring to emotional regulation?" Maura asked calmly, finally moving into territory she was comfortable with, she took a step closer to

Jane watching as the detective licked her lips at her movement, nodding her head absentmindedly. Maura knew she had no idea what she was talking about, but watching Jane react to her was heaven.

"Attempts individuals make to influence what they feel, when they feel it and how these emotions are expressed and experienced?" She paused in front of Jane letting the delicious heat from her body soak into her. "Such efforts can be automatic" she leaned her hips into Jane, letting her body rest against her best friend, "controlled" she pushed herself into her, digging into the welcoming spread of Jane's legs. The sudden action caused Jane to lean back and support herself with her hands, leaving herself vulnerable to Maura. Whispering in her ear she continued, "conscious" Maura let her lips and tongue guide itself from Jane's ear to her neck kissing its way down her jugular vein feeling the pulse vibrate beneath her lips, she dung in deeper in the detectives core feeling her push back. "Or unconscious" she whispered into Jane's neck feeling a deep throaty groan escape from the detective as she felt her wrap her legs around her hips.

"Maur..." Jane breathed into her hair, the sound mixing softly with a sharp exhale of air from her lungs. The feeling of Jane's hot breath blowing softly against her hair, her legs wrapped tightly against her own body, her core pushing into Jane as she pushed back; it was all too much for Maura to contain and she felt a moan escape her lips before she could contain it.

The response was immediate, Jane wrapped her hands into her hair demanding her lips with such an animalistic response it took Maura by surprise. She hungrily took in Jane's lips, opening her mouth inviting the invading tongue in. Her mind reeled at the sensation pulling Jane deeper into her, needing to feel every inch of Jane pressed against her body; needing to hear her moan in response to her touch.

It was only the second time in her life Maura had allowed herself to lose control; the second time she had felt a hunger gnawing at her so fierce she felt she would never satiate the thirst welling inside of her. The first time she felt this insatiable need was with Jane, in her home. And now, Maura cared little of consequences, only needing to feel Jane grind against her, responding only to her touch.

They broke apart for a moment, both chests heaving as they tried to bring desperately needed air into their lungs. Maura's head spun as she tried to take stock of the situation, her entire body felt like it was vibrating against Jane's touch, an uncontrollable desire spread from her core through her chest and out her hands demanding Jane. The break didn't last long as Maura dug her hands into Jane's back again forcing her close as their lips met. Tongues and hands roaming frantically as hips ground and pressed against the other in a frenzy. Moans escaped from deep within, but Maura could no longer discern who was moaning, she or Jane. The litany of sounds resounding in her ears as she pressed her core deeper into Jane never wanting the feeling to end or the sound of Jane moaning in pleasure to stop.

Suddenly, the air in the room changes as the door from the morgue swings open and Maura feels herself propelled away from Jane's luscious body, her mind whirling in response trying to figure out why she suddenly was no longer permanently attached to the lithe body. Her mind tried to piece together the scattered pieces of information as they filtered in past her groggy Jane seduced brain. She finally pieced together the realization that Jane had pushed her away at the sudden intrusion.

"Dr Isles, I have a complaint to lodge against the homicide squad, they refuse to announce their arrival prior to entering the morgue." Dr Pike punched his hand emphasizing his point.

"What the fuck Pike?" Jane growls out, her face flushed with desire as she licked her scowling lips. Maura watched as Jane wrung her hands with frustration. "Its called knocking!"

"I beg your pardon!" Dr Pike responded aghast at Jane's response as Frost entered Maura's office a smirk on his face.

He winked at Maura and Jane as his smile grew, noticing the flush crawl up their necks and faces. "Hey, watcha guys doin?"

"What the fuck do you want Frost?" Jane groaned into her hands realizing the implications of Frost being there.

"Jane! Language!" Maura chided trying to compose herself in front of what was becoming quickly a small crowd.

"I came down to find you two and I found this guy instead," he indicated to Pike as he scowled his response in return, "I think I might have found something relevant to the case" he hesitated waiting for Jane to take her focus off of Maura. "Unless you two want to continue whatever you were up to?" he added knowing what to say to bring Jane back to the conversation.

Jane snapped to attention at his comment. "This better be good Frost, I don't want to waste anymore time on useless leads. I want to get ahead of this guy, not keep playing catchup." Jane growled out hitting Frost below the belt, "I have pressing matters to attend too" Jane licked her lips, allowing herself to take Maura in fully looking her up and down slowly

Frost cleared his throat again blushing as he looked down at the file in his hands, "I, uh, found this case that Dr. Isles was assisting with. It was a serial murder, they caught a guy and pinned it on him but there was someone else they were considering. A horticulturist who they didn't even interview."

Dr Pike rolling his eyes, "Dr Isles, I would like your attention to the pressing matter of protocol please." He waved his hands in the air, as if trying to force the air to dissipate between them in the office. "I am in charge of what happens in that morgue and I would appreciate a little more respect around here!" He practically stomped his foot in frustration.

Jane ignored him and took the file from Frosts hands, flipping through the various pages, "looks like they closed the case after the prime suspect was arrested, why's this important to you?" she asked handing him back his notepad that had been under the file.

"Dr Isles" Pike practically screamed at Maura who finally turned her head in response, she had become engrossed in the conversation between Jane and Frost, trying her best to ignore Pike and his incessant complaining.

"Dr Pike, we are discussing important case findings, I would appreciate it if you would also follow protocol and recognize that I am working and still the Head Medical Examinor, not playing goalie during a football match here!" Maura huffed her response.

"Hockey" Jane added to yet another shocked response by Dr. Pike without turning her gaze towards Maura. He huffed out of the office as Korsak came in taking his place.

"Hey, whats goin on? Having a party and don't invite the old guy?" He asked, his hurt feelings evident.

"Well" Frost continued ignoring everything that was happening in front of him, "Dr. Isles thought that they had the wrong guy, she had testified that the findings didn't match up, despite what the M.E. at the time said." He handed each one of them a copy of her notes. She looked them over immediately recognizing the case he was referring to.

"I remember this case!" Maura offered surprised that she remembered everything despite the length of time that had passed. "He, they..." she trailed off for a moment collecting her thoughts and trying to focus her mind. She needed to compartmentalize the situation so she could be most effective. All she could do was stare at her own writing as a realization slowly started taking place.

Jane looked over the paperwork taking in the information slowly. She suddenly became aware that Maura had stopped talking, "Why don't we take a break, calm down and reconvened with cooler heads" she asked, eyeing Maura warily. "We can all go over the notes and file and compare notes."

"That sounds like a lovely idea" the foreign voice causes everyone to jump as they turn their attention to Rebecca leaning against the other door frame, her arms crossed against her chest as she eyed the four of them cooly. "Perhaps I could convince one of you to reconvene in my office?" She eyed Jane slowly taking in the nervous detectives form.

"How long have you been standing there?" Jane croaked out, her husky voice suddenly raspy and dry.

"Long enough to watch the...dynamic between all of you" she turned her gaze towards Maura, who noticed her jaw set in as she finished the statement. Rebecca's eyes shooting daggers into her own.

Jane smoothed herself out and stepped away from the desk, Maura instantly recognized the same smolder that she was used to getting from Jane directed at Rebecca. An unfamiliar emotion stirred deep inside as a small trace of fear allowed itself to be away in her subconscious. She knew that Jane and Rebecca had dated, but she hadn't even thought of the possibility that something was still happening between them. She felt sick and had a hard time swallowing, her breath coming in shallow as she tried to focus. "I thought all the decisions had been made? Why speak to us now?" Jane turned on her smile and Maura fought the urge to physically intervene between them.

"I'd like to do some follow up interviews, see how things are working now that everyone has had a chance to work together" Rebecca added briskly smiling warmly at Frost and Korsak who appeared to melt under her gaze.

"We are kind of in the middle of an investigation" Jane contended chancing a glance at Maura for the first time.

"Are you?" Rebecca's gaze turned frosty as she once again focused her attention on Jane and Maura, "I was under the understanding that you were pulled from the case Detective Rizzoli, and you Dr. Isles..." She paused staring down Maura briefly before smiling broadly, "I would assume you would want to stay as far away from this investigation as possible. For your safety of course. We wouldn't want people getting the wrong impression about our involvement with...the case...now would we?"

Maura suddenly felt the focus of the room shift to her. She kept her face as stoic as she could not wanting to give her the satisfaction of knowing she had gotten under her skin. "I'm not sure I understand what you are referring too." She cooly replied doing her best to stay focused on the red head and not allow herself to look at Jane. "My department acts with the highest regard to the legal process, I assure you there is nothing to be concerned of here."

"I'd just hate for another investigation to occur in this small department. It seems you lot enjoy bucking the rules." Maura thought for sure that Rebecca had sneered the statement through a false smile.

"I got time, I can go now" Korsak added quickly before Jane could respond. Maura finally looked at the detectives still form, noticing her hands clenched in small fists at Rebecca's last statement. She leaned against the shelf behind her wanting to blend in with the wall.

"Oh, yes. Lovely! Perhaps after Detective Rizzoli and I could meet" Rebecca quipped as Korsak started walking out the door with her.

"Actually," Frost suddenly pipped up, Maura had completely forgotten he was even in the room, "I have some things I'd like to talk about." He refused to look at Jane or Maura as both their faces blushed. Maura afforded herself a quick glance at Jane who read the same panic look that was clearly written in both their eyes. Jane's face didn't give anything away as she watched Korsak leave with Rebecca, smiling her response to the woman's wave goodbye through a clenched jaw.


	27. Chapter 27

_Hello everyone! I am sorry for the interruption in updates and the shortness of this chapter. I am struggling through a bit of writers block as I try to keep up with writing in between growing work hours! I haven't had a lot of time to sit down and really pour out the next few chapters and get back into a good groove, so I apologize for that. The next few updates might be a bit spread out as I try to complete the story and keep things flowing for everyone. I am also working on a second story that I hope to post in its entirety once I am done with it! Thanks again for sticking with me and as usual, any thoughts, comments, feedback, remarks, whatever…feel free to leave it and let me know what you're thinking! OH! And Happy Pride Month! _

JPOV

Jane chewed at the end of her pencil, staring absentmindedly at a blank space on the wall across from her desk. She was thinking about how useless pencils were, archaic; and yet her department had them in piles in all the desks, speaking to the standards of a poorly funded system. _God they make good chewing instruments_ she mused as she felt her teeth sink into the soft malleable material. She was exhausted and focusing on anything at the moment was impossible. She allowed herself another brief distraction by allowing her mind to focus on images of Maura pressed against her. The dominance she had shown was an incredible turn on and Jane had been caught by surprise by her aggression, something she wasn't used to. These thoughts quickly evaporated as she remembered their rude interruption and the scene that followed after. Korsak had been with Rebecca for nearly 2 hours now, way longer than a typical check-in should take, and Frost was killing time as he waited for his chance with the doctor. She leaned heavily against her arm letting her hand hold her face up, she needed to stay awake and focus on the little bits of new evidence that they were piecing together but it was so hard, they had been combing through Maura's old cases that she had assisted in for hours now. She reached for the cold cup of coffee and awkwardly took a sip, immediately regretting it as the coffee sank into her stomach and left a horrible taste in her mouth. It wasn't good to begin with, and was worse cold. She absentmindedly put the pencil back in her mouth and continued to chew on it with renewed vigor.

"I've heard that chewing on things is a sign of sexual frustration" Frost mused from behind his desk, not bothering to look up at her as she accidentally snapped the pencil in half out of frustration and surprise from being caught. She quickly pulled the remaining end out of her mouth scowling; "or perhaps you're just teething?" He laughed at his own joke leaning back in his chair to have a better view of her and placed his hands on his head.

Jane raised her eyebrow trying her best to keep her composure "I have no idea what you're talking about Dr. Phil. Why don't you mind your own fucking business and keep scouring through the cases? We have at least 67 left to finish today." she rubbed her temples not wanting to acknowledge the smirk on his face. On her desk she realized she had chewed through two pen caps and had worked her way through most of the pencil she had snapped in half; quickly, she tried to hide the evidence from him; scooping the offending objects into her drawer and slamming it shut. Maybe she was teething.

"Wanna talk about it?" He offered smiling. She sneered back trying to create sarcasm in his voice that didn't exist. She had no idea how much and what he actually saw Maura and her do in the office prior to him and Dr. Pike rushing in; Jane was afraid of finding out.

"Talk about what? Fuck Frost!" She rolled her eyes dramatically, "I didn't realize your balls had shrunk up and now you talk about feelings. I'll have Korsak get you a new training bra when he comes back."

"Feelings? Huh... Hey! Speaking of" he lowered his voice as if speaking of a conspiracy, "What's up with you and the Doc?"

Jane choked as she tried to suddenly swallow causing her to enter into a violent coughing fit; she reached for her coffee cup gasping for air and trying to swallow the liquid in an effort to calm herself down. Frost for his part smiled gleefully knowing he had caught Jane off guard and his intuition was on to something. "What are you talking about?" she choked out, her voice squeaking from coughing.

"I didn't know I would need to clarify. Only you could confuse which Doctor I'm referring to" he was enjoying this far too much for Jane's liking, "Look, it's cool. You're not the first girl on girl action I've heard of since I joined the police force, plenty of that when I was workin vice. I'm a new generation Jane" he watched her reaction before continuing, "I get you and Dr. Isles. Hell, I REALLY get that. She would turn any woman gay and any man straight, but the shrink? You hit that too?" he wagged his eyebrows at Jane suggestively, the smirk on his face having grown to a huge shit eating grin that Jane wanted to pummel in order to effectively remove it.

She tried her best to keep her composure; she took a deep breath to keep her voice even in hopes of not tipping her hand on her and Maura. "What did you see?" she asked as through gritted teeth not hiding her feelings as well as she had hoped, more than anything she was fearing the answer he might give.

"See? Nothing Jane" he giggled as he watched her horrified expression. "What I heard though," he paused letting the effect sink in "another story all together."

Jane groaned into her hands, ruffling her hair in the process. "Fuck" she softly intoned more to herself than to Frost. She felt the blood leave her face as the conversation she was hoping to avoid was happening.

"Jane, I don't care. Honest. It's cool. In fact, I'm kinda jealous you're in on that. I had no idea you had such game." He smiled reassuringly, elbows on his desk as he leaning forward waiting for Jane's confirmation.

"Are you ganna say something? During your meeting?" she scowled at his smirk again hating that he could read the situation so easily. She couldn't hide it any longer, and she was secretly glad she had someone to talk to about it. She knew there would eventually be implications to Maura and her doing...whatever they were doing, but she wasn't quite ready to deal with those yet; especially in the middle of an investigation.

"Naw" Frost replied nonchalantly, "We're partners Jane and you never rat out your partner, specially for being able to land such a hot dish. I'm just curious about what you did to get the shrink so wound up on you. She had a laser focus on you so hot I thought you were ganna start on fire."

Jane sighed again letting her head fall in her hands, she had no idea what she was doing with her and hadn't thought out what the repercussions would be. She had slept with Rebecca, and now she was realizing these complicated feelings for Maura. She had so much to worry about and protect. "I…we…" she stopped herself from becoming overwhelmed, finally looking up, "you know what, it's none of your business." She growled out, hating being put on the defensive by anyone, especially Frost. She immediately felt frustrated at her response to him, having spit it out before fully thinking about it. She knew she was putting up her defenses before he had a chance to even get in.

"I disagree" he persisted knitting his brows at her response "I think I have a right to know if the only reason I was promoted to detective and placed as your partner is because you fucked the wrong girl." He folded his arms glaring at Jane, waiting for her response.

She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. "Frost…" she whispered looking at his brown eyes; she could easily read his insecurity as he stared back trying his best to look hard and indifferent. "I…" she paused frowning; she honestly couldn't say that his being here wasn't directly influenced by what she did, although she had her suspicions. "I am glad you're here. You're a good cop, and you're making a fucking good detective too. I don't give a fuck how you got here, I'm just…."she sighed heavily again not wanting to say it out loud looking at her hands, "I'm glad you're here" she rushed out in a low growl of air turning her gaze away, not wanting him to acknowledge the moment they were having.

Frost grunted back looking surprised at her sudden admission of approval. He simply nodded turning a slightly pink shade and turned back to his computer, hiding a broad smile under his hand. Jane just rolled her eyes, thankful he didn't make a big deal out of it and hopeful the conversation was over. Frost was turning out to be an excellent partner. He had already proven himself more than worthy in dealing with this case, and she was slowly building a respect for him personally. There was a pregnant pause before either one of them broke the silence "What did you do Jane?"

It was a fair question, and he deserved an answer, but she didn't know how to explain everything that had been happening. "We, we went on a date; before she really started the investigation. That's it. One date." Jane offered, trying her best to be vague and helpful at the same time.

"Some date!" Frost smiled at Jane knowing how to read between the lines. "Are you still dating?"

"No" Were they? Jane thought for sure she had been clear the last time she was in her office, but with the case and Maura they hadn't had a chance to sit down and talk.

"And you and Dr. Isles? Does she know about you two?" Frost continued piecing together what Jane was afraid to admit.

"Fuck Frost, I don't even know what is up with us" Jane sighed heavily trying to ignore the growing headache. "I'm just trying to get through today."

"What do you want me to say?" He asked turning to his monitor, giving Jane the concept of privacy in a conversation that was uncomfortable for both of them.

Jane paused for a moment, not sure how to answer his question, "say about what?"

He sighed, his exasperation growing, "you know, you and Dr. Isles. How we are doin. I only told her I had something to talk about to give you more time figure out whatever you gatta" he waved his hands in the air as if he was waving away a storm of flies, "but I need you to fill me in. What's the angle you want to take on this?"

Jane allowed herself to smile as she felt herself relax for the first time since she left Maura's office, he was on her side. Just as she was about to respond Korsak strolled back into the office making a huge show of sitting down by grunting as though the effort was colossal. Rebecca meandered in after him, taking stock of Frost and Jane, both trying their best to ignore their presence. "Who's next?" she asked keeping her eyes trained only on Jane.

"Uh" Frost stood up awkwardly, "I think that's me." He waved hesitantly to Rebecca grabbing her attention finally; she nodded and turned walking out the door without another word. Jane silently thanked God she had dodged another confrontation with Rebecca. She picked up the back end of the pencil that had missed her sweep earlier and stuck it in her mouth, gnawing out her frustrations again.


	28. Chapter 28

_Hello everyone! Sorry for not posting an update sooner, but apparently posting from an iPad is a lot harder than I thought and I haven't had access to a computer. So, here's the next bit, I would LOVE LOVE! your input on this chapter and where the story is going. I've struggled a lot with finishing things up, and I'm not 100% sure I like the results. Any thoughts or guidance from my amazing followers/reviewers would be immensely appreciated! _

_Again, I just want to thank you for sticking it out with me and hopefully enjoying the ride as much as I have enjoyed taking you on it! ;) Also, did I mention sorry? _

MPOV

"Dr Pike" Maura pressed her lips together trying to stop herself from speaking her mind to the man rambling on in front of her, "all I'm asking you to do is your job, run the DNA through CODIS, I don't care how much you _think_ it will come out with the same results as the last time; we still have a job to do."

"With all do respect Doctor, I think we can forgo and look at the obvious conclusion.."

"Dr Pike!" Maura practically yelled his name out of sheer frustration, which finally brought him to a standstill, "run the DNA. Write out the results. Leave them in my desk and a copy to homicide. Have a great night." She turned in her heels and walked out of the lab before he had a chance to reply, sighing heavily through hours of frustration. They had pulled small amounts of DNA from the last body and it had caused a fight among the rest of the technicians with a minority of them wanting to run the DNA right away, and the rest not caring if it was run at all, Dr Pike leading the charge of the 'don't bother' group. Maura was finally brought in as she had just started another scan off the minute trace of fingerprint she was able to pull off the note left in the victims hand. Some days she was appalled at the lack of protocol that was followed in her own department.

That was hours ago, and now she was sitting in front of her computer 'waiting' for results. She clicked on the 'Buy' link, smiling to herself as she confirmed another shoe purchase. She eyed the new Burberry coat with the cream interior that would soon match perfectly the shoes she had finally selected hours ago and sighed. Suddenly she was scowling at the monitor for the blurred image she realized she as looking at. She hated the desktop she had been given as a replacement while they went through her laptop; it was an unattractive piece of hardware; off-white, big, clunky and loud. More than anything it was aggravatingly slow making even the simplest and usually happiest of shoe purchases almost painful. She finally closed the window knowing she could no longer justify staying in her office any longer. The day had long ago ended and she was the last one left in the basement.

Rubbing her temples then running her hands across her scalp slowly letting her fingers work their way into releasing the tension she had been holding, she accepted the possibility that she needed to go home. She let her mind drift momentarily to how Jane was doing. They hadn't had a chance to talk all day and she was worried about her reaction to all the chaos that surrounded them lately. She had noticed the flicker in her face when Frost first entered the room and again when Rebecca came in. She wasn't sure what it meant yet, but her best hope was that they were related to being caught; not related to any underlying attraction she still felt for Rebecca.

She lazily turned off the computer listening to it hum down as the fans turned off and finally her office was silent again. In the new stillness Maura clearly heard the elevator door open and was startled to see Rebecca walking into her office; she looked fresh and well kept, unlike Maura, who was sure she was wearing her exhaustion on every inch of her being. Part of her wished she was hallucinating this apparition, not wanting to deal with whatever ill tidings this woman tended to bring with her. "Can I help you Doctor?"

"I was hoping to have a moment of your time Dr. Isles. I have just a few follow up questions to get answered before I finish my report." She frowned drawing nearer to Maura's desk holding a stack of papers in her hand.

"Anything to help" Maura offered standing up. She felt uneasy around this woman, and didn't want to risk being trapped behind her desk for some reason. Maura cast an uneasy glance out her door, hoping an intrusion would pop in and ease some of the tension that came in with the red heads appearance.

"Lovely" came the doctors reply, she stepped back watching Maura come around the desk, looking her up and down slowly, not hiding her gaze in the least bit. Maura felt herself blush at the forwardness of the doctor, not sure what to make of the sudden change in her demeanor. "I'm sorry to stare, but you have brilliant taste in clothing" she purred out letting her eyes rake over Maura again.

"Oh! Well, thank you" she awkwardly responded picking at the edge of her shirt, unsure of what else to add. She felt nervousness creeping in as she shifted in her place, unsure of what the correct social response was for this type of situation; she knew she was staring back with a blank look on her face.

"In fact, I've noticed quite a bit about you lately, the way you walk is mesmerizing." She stepped closer as Maura twitched at the change of tone. "Your wardrobe choice is actually very….distracting" she purred closing in the distance.

Maura retreated as far as she could go, the back of her knees found themselves rubbing against the soft supple leather seat of her couch barring her from retreating anymore. Her mind drew a blank as she tried to formulate a response; confusion took over her face as she fought the urge to find an escape route. Rebecca took another step towards her closing in the gap, as she almost collapsed into the chair, she found herself practically hanging over it.

Rebecca drew her leg up against the small gap between Maura and the armrest, letting her skirt ride up enough to expose her leg up to her thigh as she placed her foot on the chair. "Tell me Doctor Isles, have you ever…given a thought to being with a woman?" she smirked at Maura's wide eyed response.

"I have studied the matter, out of scientific curiosity" Maura choked out trying to regain her composure, her head swimming in confusion. She thought Rebecca hated her, and now she was coming on to her, _this makes no sense_, she thought to herself as Rebecca leaned in closer raising a perfectly groomed eyebrow.

"Really? I have to say I'm quite surprised, I had always wondered but never thought someone like you would actually exist, rare to meet a unicorn." Rebecca smiled warmly at Maura's surprised look.

"What does that mean?" Tactics were changing and Maura couldn't quite keep up with the fluctuations, she was trying to be one move ahead, but she wasn't even sure any more of the game they were playing.

"Just that I don't mind counting someone as beautiful as you as one on our team love. That's all." Rebecca's smile turned into a slight smirk as she let her eyes trail over Maura's face before finally stopping on her lips.

Maura watched as she licked her lips and a small chill ran down her spine at the woman's actions. She marveled at the woman before her, even at her worse the red head oozed sex; everything about her was sensual and unexpected and it made her head spin both from confusion and the sexual energy she was putting off. "Unicorn? I don't understand."

"It's a fictional creature, has a horn?" Rebecca winked at her inching closer again.

"No, no I get that, I mean I don't understand it but what I meant was; I thought you and Jane were…" She couldn't finish the sentence, it caught in her throat and her tongue and lips refused to allow the sound to travel out any further.

"Jane? Detective Rizzoli? Oh no, her? She was just, on my way to get to you." She smiled again letting her hand slide down Maura's arm softly. "I didn't realize until today, that you might actually be interested."

Maura's eyes fluttered in surprise, she thought for sure she was hearing things; she felt her mouth drop and once again couldn't get her mouth to formulate the response her brain was trying to give. "Interested? What makes you think I'm…um…interested?"

Rebecca leaned in again, her breath gently tickling Maura's chin as she tried to turn away from the stimuli, "Tell me Doctor, out if scientific curiosity, what does this make you feel?" she let her body push up against Maura. The sensation was…unexpected.

Maura couldn't retreat anymore; she felt her chair push against the back of her thighs as Rebecca leaned in closer. Falling into the chair she gasped her submission to the more dominant woman who quickly joined her by straddling Maura in between her own thighs. Maura gripped the chairs arm rests trying to figure out what to do, trying to stop her mind from panicking at the competing sensations. She felt more than saw the long fingers draw against her face, foreign hands that were unfamiliar to her skin. They were not Jane's long lithe fingers that caressed and stroked gently against her, pushing and pulling all at the same time.

She shuddered her response, but not out of desire or longing, from something else. Rebecca's body was cold in comparison to Jane, it felt awkward pressing against her own. The skin felt foreign and made her own prickle in response to its touch. She felt her body physically respond, her mouth watered, her cheeks flushed, she leaned in anticipating Rebecca's next move. Something

didn't feel right however, something kept her back, stopped her from enjoying the moment as much as she could have. She was interested, curious to know and understand the difference in the physiological reaction to a touch, an embrace, by another woman besides Jane. Since the moment she rationalized her feelings toward Jane, toward woman, she had been curious to figure out if it was all woman, or just Jane. Rebecca slowly drew in closer and Maura braced herself for the inevitable collision of lips.

She heard the sound of the cup hitting the ground, the sound the liquid made as it hit the concrete floor. Maura turned towards the sound, her mind not registering the image that stood before her but rather focusing on the pooled liquid on the floor. Rebecca hardly gave a glance at the door, keeping her eyes trained on Maura's reaction. Suddenly it clicked, the image she was seeing. "JANE!" was all Maura could muster as pieces clicked into place. Jane had been carrying two cups of coffee; she had walked into the office, and upon seeing Maura and Rebecca….

"Hello Jane" Rebecca smiled pervasively at the stunned detective, "Dr. Isles and I were just, what did you call it again? Ah yes, scientific inquiry." She smiled at Maura's startled reaction. Maura couldn't get her body to move, her legs and arms refused to cooperate as did her mind. She saw the picture as Jane would, Rebecca straddling her, their lips almost touching.

"No" she whispered out, hardly audible. The image of Jane, her face betraying every emotion as it raked through her body at what she walked into. "No Jane, it's not…it's not…" Before she could finish her sentence Jane stormed off, her black hair twisting in an angry mass with her sudden departure.

Maura turned to Rebecca who had not yet moved from her position on top of her, a large smile spread broad across her face. "Why" she whispered, trying her best to read her face, understand what had just happened.

Rebecca leaned back slightly, not bothering to hide the amusement on her face, relishing in the agony that was written on Maura's. "I don't like it when other people play with my things." She answered plainly, freeing Maura from her grasp, walking towards the desk and leaning against it.

Maura swallowed painfully, her mouth suddenly dry, "Jane is; she's not a thing. She's someone to love, to respect."

Rebecca scoffed at her remark rolling her eyes and waving her hand in the air, "who said anything about love dear, she's more of a...commodity?" suddenly her eyebrows raised and understanding crossed her face, "oh you! You love her don't you?" She laughed at the sudden revelation, the sound echoing in her ears like a resonance chamber, bouncing its way through her body with heavy effects.

"You did this on purpose?" the idea seemed so ludicrous she almost laughed herself as the words tumbled out. No one could be that cruel. Rebecca merely stared back, not moving an inch, giving Maura time to accept what had happened. "Why?" she could feel an unfamiliar lump form in her throat, like bile rising from her stomach and burning her esophagus. But this was not bile, it was an emotion that Maura was unfamiliar with, unpracticed with and it was threatening to rip its way out from her throat.

"Because who better than her best friend to deliver a message for me?" she smiled drawing closer once more, her hands resting on either side of Maura now. She continued into Maura's ear, "and what better way to remind you that she is mine." she growled out pressing harder against Maura's tiny frame.

"What?" suddenly the aggression took hold in Maura's brain as she realized the motives had indeed changed.

"Jane is mine." she lashed out venom in her ears.

"She's not a thing!" Maura choked out against a hand that found it suddenly pressing against her artery.

"She's mine Dr. isles, and the sooner you remember that the better." She squeezed at her throat punctuating the point. Then, just as suddenly pulled back and left, leaving Maura clutching at her sore throat and gasping for air and understanding.


	29. Chapter 29

_Sorry for the delay in posting updates! I was planning on posting one loooong update, but honestly; I wanted to make sure I am posting the BEST updates with the BEST I can offer, and its taking FOREVER for me to finish each angle of the story! I am posting a quick update to this current story, and I will also be posting a one shot story of just Rizzles to make up for the lack of Rizzles that I know all of you were hoping to have happen (Thanks for the comments, they make my day!). This should be up sometime by tomorrow after I work on my resume a bit ;)_

_Did I mention thank you again for your amazing reviews and for following me! Each of you make my day, and I look forward to the tidbits of emails with your thoughts! _

JPOV

Jane slammed the bathroom stall door shut as she tried her best to keep from vomiting. She stared blankly at the toilet bowl and tried her best to concentrate on the calmness of the water, she wanted to force the same calmness inside. Everything had been going so well today, she was coming down to celebrate with her customary coffees with Maura that they had finally caught up with the first victims boyfriend. Jane was elated to finally have such a massive break in the case, all she needed to do was match the evidence for all the murders and things would be over.

But now she felt out of control with anger, and was trying her best not acknowledge the hurt that she knew was mixing inside. The image of Maura straddled by Rebecca burned in her as she blinked away tears. She didn't want to believe what she just saw, she didn't want to acknowledged that she had misread, misunderstood some arrangement between her and Maura.

"Fuck" she gasped out in between breathes, _calm down Jane, just breathe_ she coached herself through the onslaught of a panic attack that she felt tearing her way through her unwilling body. Since when did she care so much what happened with someone? With a woman? With Maura? Her stomach burned and she felt strangely disassociated from the event. She had tried to blink away the image, certain she was seeing something wrong, certain that what she saw couldn't actually be happening. But Jane knew that Maura was being straddled by Rebecca, and the realization that Maura could be with someone else, especially another woman burned like embers into her body and seeped out her pores, it hurt and the fact that it hurt made her angry.

It shouldn't matter though. They had never discussed anything, they were not even dating. But it burned just the same. She felt like she had gotten checked by some perp during a take down. Breathing came in gasps and she was having a hard time focusing on the rippling water below her. It took a full minute for Jane to realize that the water was rippling because of her tears falling in. Gritting her teeth she inhaled deeply in between a soft sob, and demanded her body to relax. Closing her eyes and concentrating on the feeling of her lungs filling with air, she finally willed her body to calm down enough to stop her eyes from leaking.

"Jane?" a soft voice questioned as the door to the bathroom squeaked open.

Her entire body stiffened and for a moment she considered standing on the toilet and pretending she was not in the stall. She put a tentative foot on the toilet seat before deciding it was to late to hide in the stall, wanting to shrink away from reality. She took a deep breath as the figure moved closer to her stall and was assaulted by the smell of her perfume; the smell made her dizzy with desire and pain mixed into one component. She could hear the movement of her fabric, and for a moment Jane had to clutch at her chest to keep from allowing her pain to gasp out. She fought against the sudden tightness in her chest, making it hard to compose herself, to do even the most basic of things like breathe.

"Jane?" came the soft question again, hesitation playing itself out in her voice.

Jane braced herself against the door one last time. She pulled her shirt taunt and brushed her hair out of her face, reflexively sucking in a breath. She felt her face turn, felt the stone take over like it had many times before in other situations; though never a situation like this. She had to keep it together, couldn't let her know, couldn't show how this effected her, how hurt she was. She grunted a response, giving herself another moment to pull together the mask, to hide the hurt and confusion that was clouding her mind and her judgement.

"Jane, please. I can...I can explain." the words were so soft, almost pleading and for a moment Jane almost lost her nerve, almost lost her resolve to do what she does best. To self preserve, but this time in the face of something she has never felt before, never dealt with before; and for the first time in her life, she felt out of control and unsure of her next move.

"What Maura? What is there to explain?" she stormed out of the stall practically kicking it open and barreling into Maura who jumped back and hit the sink at the sudden movement.

"Oh! I! Jane!" She fumbled back trying to recover, shock and hurt digging deep into her brows.

Jane refused to look at her, she didn't have to, she knew her face; had memorized every angle, every line and gentle slope. She knew the look that Maura would have, confusion, with a tinge of hurt and hope; she would melt at that look like she normally does. "Look Maura, what ever it was that I stumbled into," she focused on relaxing her face, focused on staying calmed and relaxed despite the inner turmoil she was experiencing, "I don't care about. You have nothing to explain."

"It's not what you think!" Maura reached out as Jane quickly moved out of grasp again, she started washing her hands to just keep her attention focuses on something.

"It makes sense Maur, you have a scientific mind, you need to understand things..." Jane was doing her best to convince herself of Maura's own reasons for being straddled by Rebecca.

Maura reached out again "Just let me explain Jane, I owe you at..."

Jane reeled at her statement, her anger exploding before she could even try to control it, "You. Owe. Me. Nothing." She punctuated her statement before slamming open the door and storming out of her presence once again.

On momentum alone, she was able to make it to her car before she allowed herself to take a breath. What came out was not the release of air she was expecting, but a gasp as the sob she had been holding in was finally released.


	30. Chapter 30

_Quick update, just a few chapters left to go! Hopefully my mini-post will keep you satiated as things heat up in this story as well! Comments and thoughts as always are welcomed! _

JPOV

Jane held her head in her hands and rubbed her temple trying to swallow the now all too familiar lump in her throat. Once again she was trying to swallow down her feelings and pretend that she didn't care about Maura, didn't care that they hadn't spoken in two days.

Frost and Korsak were finishing up interrogating the all too allusive boyfriend of the first victim. It took two days, but he had finally broken down. He admitted to killing her, like the others, in a fit of rage when she refused to bend to his will. He broke down sobbing begging to be arrested claiming that he couldn't control himself as Jane watched on from behind the two way mirror; smiling at the broken form that sat before her. What he didn't do, to her dismay, was connect the rest of the pieces of the puzzle. How did this connect to the cases Maura had assisted on, and to the new string of bodies they had discovered?

She ruffled her hair and sighed, she was exhausted and was having trouble focusing on the paperwork in front of her. "Being a cop looks so much more glamorous on tv" she mumbled to herself.

"Yeah well CSI totally killed it for me", a disembodied voice piped in response scaring Jane slightly at the intrusion.

"Christ, you techies are like ninjas!" Jane hated being startled, and fought the feeling of being disappointed that it wasn't Maura bringing evidence up instead of her assistant. "What brings you out of the dungeon?"

"Sorry about that, I wouldn't be up among the living if I could find Dr. Isles to give this evidence to. She gave me directions to hand this to her or to you as soon as the results come in, so...here." she hastily handed the folder over to Jane, fidgeting as she waited for Jane to read the results.

"What's wrong?" Jane read the nervousness in the assistant and anxiously started skimming the lab report.

"We got all the results back from the lab, and the first victim we can forensically link to the suspect in custody as well as connect some of the older cases; it's just that..." she fidgeted again hedging her response. "The DNA and prints from the newer ones...it doesn't match."

Jane fumbled through the stack of pages trying to find the right one, "What do you mean it doesn't match?"

"Well, I think there may have been some contamination, or maybe a mistake was made?" She started biting her lip, a nervous habit that Jane picked up on immediately.

"Maura doesn't make mistakes." Jane responded quickly trying to wrap her head around the information she was reading. She felt a small trace of panic start to rise within her as her mind started wrapping itself around the information. "Where's Maura?"

"I...I don't know, she's not answering her phone." she looked at her hands and took a deep breath before continuing, "I was able to confirm that the prints match from our own database, and the DNA matches the last victim as well. It just doesn't make sense. How did his DNA get mixed in with the victim, or his prints? Why aren't they connecting? I know what Maura always says..."

"Forensics never lie" Jane finished her sentence mimicking Maura's point of waiting for evidence and not making assumptions; a habit Jane wasn't fond of.

"Should I put it through again? Just to make sure?" she eyes the other officers sitting around the bullpen nervously, obviously not sure what to make of the whole situation.

"No! No, I need you to focus on pulling all of this together, this is top priority for now." the lab tech nodded at Jane and started to turn, "one more thing!" Jane stood up and whispered low in the techs ear, "not a word of this to anyone. Got it? Not one fucking word." Jane searched her face for confirmation that she understood watching her nod with wide eyes before allowing her to turn around and walk away again.

MPOV

Maura slowly and methodically finished tying her running shoes. She knew that she had to do something different; yoga wasn't working anymore, she wasn't able to calm her mind and center herself. She stretched one last time feeling her muscles taunt and releases at the sudden movement. She relaxed her shoulders and once again pushed Jane out of her mind as she took a breath and finally walked out the door. Across the street was the familiar sight of an unmarked patrol car, dark and menacing; always there and another constant reminder of what has gone wrong in her life.

She walked up to the window, prepared for it to roll down and one of the familiar officers to greet her. But it didn't, she could faintly see the outline of someone in the car reclining. She leaned over and peered through the front window, the light from her home gave off just enough that she can see the outline of a fast asleep officer. She smiled to herself; they have given so much of their time and effort to keep her safe. She paused nervously nibbling on her lower lip for a moment pondering her choices, usually there were two officers on patrol, but she only saw one; which meant that the other would be back soon. _Maybe he went to get food_ she mused. She could wait for him to return, or... _Just one night_ she thought to herself, _just one night I get to be alone, and he can sleep a little more; after all it's just a quick run. _

She started off on a brisk pace, carefully measuring her breathing as she moved further away from her home. She always enjoyed her neighborhood; the drive to her home was one of the most enjoyable experiences of her day. She lived in a higher end residential area that had further spacing in between homes than some of the more classic Boston neighborhoods, and it was significantly filled with more greenery than any other area she had looked at. She turned the corner and headed up hill, hoping the burn in her legs would help clear her thoughts.

She had tried unsuccessfully to focus on anything else but Jane over the last two days. Now, she allowed her mind to wander, knowing there was no danger on her run to do or say something inappropriate. She needed to find a solution to whatever it was that had happened between Rebecca, Jane, and her. She knew better than to give Jane time to come to her. Jane would avoid the situation at all costs, hoping that it would all just disappear in the night like the fading trees behind her.

She picked up her pace, pushing her body well beyond her usual comfort zone feeling small beads of sweat glide down her back and her forehead as her lungs burned for more oxygen. The moment her body pushed passed its comfort point was a feeling she enjoyed. Her endorphins kicked in giving her a runners high, helping her ease her mind out of its usual hum and into an almost blank slate, where even direction of travel did not matter, nor did the destination. She hit a curb and paused slightly to check for traffic. Suddenly a white van came peeling towards her. She jumped back on the curb and watched as it rounded the corner at breakneck speeds, practically lifting its two wheels off the ground as it speed off in the direction she just came in. She felt her adrenaline cursing through her, adding to her already increased heart rate.


	31. Chapter 31

JPOV

Frost walked in a few moments later tapping Jane on the shoulder, pulling her out of the file she was reading, "Are you memorizing it for a test I don't know about?"

Jane scowled and drew him in closer by grabbing his tie, "I need the suspect in interrogation, NOW!" she pushed him away as she started heading for the door in the direction of the holding cells.

Frost reaches out and grabs her before her momentum can drag them both into trouble, "where are you goin. What is the plan? And more importantly, what is going on with you?"

"It's not him. It's not the guy in custody Frost." she lowered her voice trying her best not to attract attention from the surrounding officers, "It's someone from the inside. It's, it's one of our own! It's an officer that's targeting Maura!"

"Jane, are you sure about this?" Frost asked, glancing around at the other officers in the bullpen.

Jane handed him the file, "Forensics connected the string of dots from the past, but not the present. It's two different guys."

Frost flipped through the pages in the file raising his eyebrow at each turn of the page. He closed the file and rubbed her eyes as he sighed. Jane watched him closely, trying to read him before he responded. "Do we have eyes on him? How do we know it's not a mistake Jane? Officers touch shit all the time and make a mess of things; how do we know this isn't the case this time?" he asked closing the file and handing it back to Jane.

"What's your gut tell you?" Jane unlocked her desk and put the file away, double checking that the drawer was locked again before facing Frost.

"To do whatever you say" he replied immediately. He smiles as he pulls something out if his own desk and hands it to Jane. "Here, I thought you might like this."

Jane holds the cd in her hand turning it over "what the fuck is this?" She couldn't understand how this could help the case.

"It's a mix tape; one of my favorites!" Frost offered pointing to the cd again smiling. "It always helps me...you know...after!"

Jane was still confused as to what Frost was talking about, "after what?" she frowned at his excitement, that kind of smile was never a good thing.

Frost looked around before whispering to Jane, "you and Maura, the breakup? These song'll speak to you man! Adele, Houston, Jackson….Oh man, good stuff!" he added with flair accidentally raising his voice in his excitement.

"The what?" Jane asked practically choking on her tongue again. "I am not your man! What are you talking about!"

"Come on Jane! The last two days I've never seen you so upset. It doesn't take a detective to put two and two together." Frost did little to hide his concern, it made Jane's stomach instantly drop and the familiar feeling returned in her throat as it closed up again.

"I don't want it" she threw the cd back in his hands like it was about to explode.

Frost laughed at her actions, "just listen to it, it's helped me through some of the worst breakups!" he tried handing it back to Jane who scooted back.

"Really?" Jane rolled her eyes trying to hide her emotion with sarcasm, "there's no breakup Frost; cuz there was no relationship!" she almost tripped over her chair yelping as Frost once again tried to put the cd in her hands.

Frost laughs at her almost fall as he watches her scatter out of the bullpen fanning the cd; a smile spreading across his lips.

Jane made a beeline for the lobby hoping to take a walk and clear her head. As she neared, she could hear off in the distance for mother talking to someone else; _What_ _now_ she moans as she gets up from her desk and watches as Rebecca tries to put her arm around her mother; her mother recoiling in apparent disgust.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Angela asks the woman, her voice growing louder.

"It's ok, I know it's a shock, but I thought we should meet sooner rather than later." Rebecca quickly responds smiling.

"No. My Janie would _never_ do that to me. She would never!" Angela responded as her voice went up an octave. Jane had no idea what was happening, but everything in her gut told her it was not good.

"She didn't _do_ anything to you Ms. Rizzoli." Rebecca again tried to put a reassuring arm around her as Jane approached the two.

"Ma, what the hell is going on? What are you doing here?" Jane intentionally puts herself between her mom and Rebecca as she looks down at her mother, trying to read her body language to discern what is going on.

"What's going on? You haven't been home in a couple days Janie! I got worried! I came to see how you are and bring you some food." she holds up a large bag of tupperware containers, "and then this...this woman comes up to me..." she hesitates before continuing on, "and tells me..." she doesn't finish before her eyes well up with tears.

"I was just telling her the good news!" Rebecca chimed in, Jane turned to look at her completely having forgotten that she was even there; focusing solely on her mother and her distraught state.

"What good news? About the case? We have to finish connecting the dots." Jane was confused as to why this woman would even go near her mother over a confidential case, she grabbed her mother's arm preparing to lead her out the door; "I think it's kind of premature..."

"No, not about the case." Rebecca smiled slowly, "about us. About you and me. I was just telling your mother about how we are dating."

Jane took a step back flabbergasted "what are you talking about?"

"I saw your mother here looking for you, so I took the chance to introduce myself, and realized that your mother didn't know. I thought your mother should know." Rebecca responded calmly smiling at Jane placing her hand on her arm. "I mean you haven't told her and she was here, so I told her how great it's been."

Jane's mom grabbed her arm pulling her away "is this true Jane are you...with this woman?" she pointed at Rebecca without turning to look, her eyes bright with angst.

Jane recoiled while trying her best to not show her disgust at the situation she was presented with, "what ma? No of course not! What are you talking about?" she turned her attention back to Rebecca.

"Janie I need to know, is that why you haven't been home in the last two days?" Her voice rose again in anger and panic.

"I'm working Ma! Trying to save Maura's life and put some bad guy away. I don't have time." Jane rolled her eyes as she slowly turned towards her mother "focus mom, on me! This is really important: I need you to go."

"But Jane!" her mother protested "where's Maura? Why aren't you with her and instead with THIS person?"

"Mom!" Jane yelled threw gritted teeth trying her best to stay calm "I need you to go. I will explain everything to you later." She stared at her mom hoping she would pick up on the urgency of the situation. She needed to focus on the new lead, figuring out where he was and where in the hell Maura was.

"I'm not leaving without an explanation Jane" her mother refused to be budged. Jane rolled her eyes knowing that she would be as resilient to being moved as she would be in the same circumstance.

Rebecca smiled turning to her mother "it's okay we'll have plenty of time to catch up later" her cheery demeanor caused something to snap in her mother who reeled back with the intention of slapping her across the face, but Jane was able to grab her hand just in time.

Jane's mother hissed her displeasure as she stared down Jane, "a mother has a right to know!"

Jane was quickly losing patience "please mom just go." She slowly ushered her mom towards the door making sure to take the bag of food before she crossed through the metal detector. "Can you trust me mom? Please, just trust me"

"Of course I trust you Jane" she turned and looked at Rebecca giving her an evil glance, "fine I'll see you later. Don't forget!"

Jane slowly turned her attention back to Rebecca, having grown noticeably wary of the large crowd that starting to form in the lobby, attracted to the noise her mother was creating; "Your office now" Jane demanded leading the way.

"With pleasure" Rebecca replied quickly following her towards her office. Once in the room Rebecca immediately latched onto Jane, roughly pulling at her clothes trying to remove them.

Jane pushed her off in disgust and tried her best to keep her anger from spilling over; "what makes you think that we are together? What the fuck gives you the right to tell my mom anything?" she demanded, her voice growing louder the angrier she got.

"Oh my, someone woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning." Rebecca pulled back and smiled her response to Jane. "You being all hot and bothered like that, it's a real turn on. I can hardly wait to taste to you", she pulled herself closer to Jane who roughly pushed her back.

"What the fuck is wrong with you" Jane again demanded, her eyes could have killed her if they were real knives.

Rebecca pulled back just briefly for a moment and eyed Jane up and down "after you left I couldn't very well let it stand like that. I knew I needed to have you, you were mine after all."

Jane was having trouble following her thoughts "but you and Maura? I saw you two, you were on top of her!" It was exhausting switching between emotions, Jane had been awake for nearly 48 hours working on the case, fighting every emotion but anger and resentment; now there was a possibility, this late in the night, that she had been wrong.

"Oh darling, you're not still upset over that silly little misunderstanding are you?" Rebecca purred once again at Jane. "I needed to do something to get you away from that harlot that was so distracting to you. So we thought that we would do something to help remind you who is right for you"

Things started to click for Jane as she realized she had been manipulated "what do you mean?"

"Sweetheart, darling" Rebecca drew close again and let her hand caress Jane's cheek, "did you really think I would go for a pussycat when I can have the tiger?"

"Maura wasn't?" Jane swallowed heavily, realizing her mistake, "she wasn't with you?"

Rebecca scoffed her response, "please, her? She doesn't know what's going on around her, she was so easy to manipulate." She put her arms around Jane inhaling her scent deeply "but you, you are so much smarter, so much stronger. By the time she realized I was using her, it was too late. See Detective, you can't trust woman like that. But you can trust me."

Jane swallowed tears realizing she had misjudged Maura. She was so quick to jump the gun, to defend her own feelings; she didn't take a moment to listen to Maura. Now she had this complete lunatic holding her when all she desperately wanted was Maura's arms around her. Then, in the midst of her misery, she realized something, "what do you mean 'us'?"

Rebecca looked like she might burst from excitement as she let go of Jane and proceeded to explain. "Oh Jane, I have made the most wonderful friend, he had been ever so helpful in helping me win you over. Providing insight and guidance into what you naughty officers think." She waved her hands in the air as she continued on. "He wants to be a detective, so we have just been helping each other out!"

"Who is this person?" Jane mused, praying to God it wasn't her brother Frankie playing a cruel joke.

"Officer Minesota." Rebecca offered shrugging at Jane's sudden interest.

Jane's blood froze in her veins and for a moment her vision clouded over as dots connected themselves unwillingly. She couldn't breathe as everything in her tore apart. "What did you do?" she barely got the words out as she struggled to stay on her feet.

"Do? Whatever do you mean?" Rebecca cocked an eyebrow at the detective noticing the change in her demeanor.

Jane lashed out, unable to contain her fury any longer, everything was out of control, nothing made sense, and Maura was missing because of her. "What did you do?" she screamed out, pinning Rebecca against the wall.

"I played with The Doctor to get to you, she didn't get hurt! Everything's fine! He hardly had much interest in you to be fair" she offered in a panic as Jane's arm shook with furry.

"What was the trade?" She slammed her back against the wall wanting to rip the information out of her body.

"I...I...helped him get involved with your big case, I pulled the files on the officers on her security detail. I thought it would help him get noticed by being involved, since he helped me deal with Maura." she stuttered unable to hide the terrified look.

"How?" Jane knew she was losing control, but she didn't care, she just wanted to find Maura. "HOW?"

"I told him which officer to switch with for surveillance detail. He should be there tonight." Rebecca choked out trying to restrain the tears as Jane pulled back and ran out the door. She heard Rebecca call out her name meekly as she tied to control her breathing again. Jane stopped and turned back for a moment, "she so much has a hair on her head missing, then I am coming for you! No one, no one! Touches Maura Isles without my permission. You got that?" Jane roars as she watches the feeble doctor nod back.


	32. Chapter 32

_First, I hate that I cannot respond directly to your comments, but I LOVE the fact that you leave them and let me know what your thinking._

_Second, my original plan was to split this up into multiple chapters, but you guys have been so wonderful to me; sharing your thoughts, adding for alerts and faving the story. I wanted to give you everything I had already set up instead of spreading this out. _

_Sooo…that means that the next update will take a bit of time as I finish writing out what I have planned. I had a lot of this planned out early on, but got a bit of writers block along the way! I appreciate you hanging in their with me, as I work to get all the lose ends fixed. We still have Rebecca to deal with, and some Rizzles action to contend with ;) _

_Third, anyone else kind of grumpy with the 3rd season and the lack…well…the lack of Jane and Maura? Sigh…at least we have our stories! _

MPOV

Shaking her head at the disappearing vehicle, she checked her pulse to make sure she was still on pace and double-checked the road crossing. She started again on her course, letting her mind drift back to Jane. Wiping her brow, she slowly worked through every scenario that she had been through since she started working at the station. She had been so distracted with Jane that she had lost sight of the case. Something had been nagging her for weeks, but with little forensic evidence, she had nothing to base this suspicion on.

She walked through the victims, the autopsies, and the small traces of evidence she was able to pull. She wondered if the DNA and fingerprints had returned anything yet. At most, she was hoping for the cases to be linked forensically, but something about the evidence; it was as if it was two minds, one sloppier than the other had produced it. It just didn't match, it didn't make sense. Maura hated when things didn't make sense.

She reached for her phone, nearly slapping her head as she realized that she had left it at home. She decided it was time to head back and check her messages; she turned the corner planning to go back around the block, and follow her usual route.

JPOV

Jane ran to her car hardly opening the door before she jammed herself inside. She turned the key in the ignition as Adele started blaring through the speakers. She growled at the radio punching the dials trying to change the station, not wanting to hear the steamy words, her words reminding her of the mess she had made and the fact that she may have lost Maura forever. She punched at the dials changing the song to Whitney Houston. She growled at the radio realizing that Frost had put his CD into her car despite the fact that she had told him she didn't want to hear it. She slammed her fist on the console in frustration causing the CD to skip. This was not a breakup CD, this was a CD of love songs; Jane couldn't believe that Frost would give her something that would remind her of how much she cared for Maura.

The radio came back to life but she hardly paid noticed peeling out of the spot and roaring out of the parking lot as Jessie J started singing "What is with his taste in music?" Jane mumbled to herself. She headed straight for Maura's house, the siren blaring as she cut her way through traffic. She knew the way by heart, hardly thinking of the direction she was going or where she was turning, just focusing on getting to Maura. Saving Maura. It was her fault. She didn't do her job, didn't protect the person she cared about most in the world. And now, Maura was in more danger than she had ever been. As she listened to the lyrics of the next song she groaned, the stupid song causing a greater ache in her heart as she tried her best to keep her composure and not start blubbering like an idiot behind the wheel.

She saw cruiser lights that matched her own and her stomach dropped, was she too late? She stopped at the intersection and leapt out of the car running towards the officer securing the scene. "What happened? What's going on?" She yelled in a panic, hardly stopping for his response.

"Just a traffic hit-n-run, lots of debris; gatta close the road so the crew can pick up." Jane blew past him heading in the direction of Maura's house. "Hey! You can't leave your car here!" He called after her. He looked at the car, suddenly realizing it was still moving and jumped in to put it in park. Jane was already a block away, she knew she was still two blocks from Maura's and just kept praying she wasn't too late.

MPOV

She saw the familiar red and blue lights flashing as she neared the edge of the street. She saw the same van that had nearly ran her over earlier stopped on the side of the road with an officer standing between the two vehicles. Maura smiled thinking how swift justice could be sometimes as she neared the scene. "Nice job officer, he nearly ran me over back there" she puffed as she stopped in between the squad car and the van, looking for the driver in the squad car.

"Well, you know what they say about the wheels of Justice Dr. Isles." The officer didn't turn as he opened the rear door of the van.

Maura wiped her brow peering into the van, "well these wheels were certainly quick!" She smiled at the officer as he turned and peered at her from under his cap. He smiled back, and it sent a shiver down her spine despite the fact that her body temperature was up due to the run. Suddenly it hit her harder than if the van itself had ran into her at the curb, "where is the driver?" she asked glancing back at the empty squad car again.

JPOV

Jane's heart pounded as she saw Maura's house painfully inching closer. She ran straight for the door preparing to bust it down; but falling through, as the door was not even closed. "MAURA!" She yelled in both fury and shock, picking herself up off the floor. "What did I tell you about locking your door?" She ran in hardly catching her breath and started searching rooms as her fingers hit redial. In the kitchen she heard Maura's phone buzz "FUCK!" she yelled as she realized Maura had left the house without it.

She ran out of the house, feeling her body burn through the remaining bits of excess fuel she had left, she knew she was running on pure adrenaline at this point. Pounding on the window of the squad she watched as the officer behind the wheel slowly began to wake fingering the unlock button. Jane ripped the door open and pulled the startled officer out, "Where is she?" panic and fear filling every inch of her normally raspy voice causing it to sound unusually high.

"Who?" the officer slurred rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, not showing an ounce of alarm at Jane's behavior.

"Maura? Where is Maura? You were supposed to be watching her, the house is empty! Where is she?" Jane let him go, icy fear creeping into every pore as she realized he had been drugged and would be of no real help.

"I…I don't remember" he scratched his head looking around, "Hey, where's Larry?" He asked pointing to the empty car. He snapped his fingers suddenly remembering, "oh yeah, new guy traded shifts with him. What's his name?"

What little patience Jane normally had long ago disappeared, "Minesota, where is he?" Jane watched as the officer slowly gained his wits rubbing his face. He mouthed some words and appeared to be piecing together some sort of timeline.

"He got us coffee, said it was ganna be a long night. That's…that's all I remember" he shook his head glancing at the empty car. "I…I don't know what happened? I've never fallen asleep on the job before."

Jane walked away, trying to clear her own head. What would Maura do right now, where would she go without security detail? _She probably felt safe knowing that we had a suspect in custody_ she thought running her hands through her hair again. _She would plan to come back, she left her car and house unlocked, no cell phone_ Jane cursed as she tried to put the pieces together. "A Run…" she blurted out loud. She was met with a confused stare as the officer was still trying to piece together his evening, "She went for a run! That's why she's not in the house! She can't be far!" Jane took off down the street trying her best to think logically like Maura "call for backup!" _She would have started uphill, knowing that the climb would kick her into high gear faster. _Jane felt her lungs burning, begging for oxygen as she ran full speed in no particular direction but forward. Off in the distance she saw the flashing lights she had passed earlier.

"Wait, no. No! Those lights are different, they…they are coming from the opposite direction!" Jane pushed through the pain feeling like the lights were miles away but hoping that the small spec of blond that she saw behind the lights must be Maura, maybe she wasn't too late, maybe she still had a chance to save her.

MPOV

Something wasn't right, she watched as the officer slowly circled her pinning her against the van, never removing his smile from his face. "How do you know who I am?" Maura asked, swallowing hard. She glanced down at the name on the badge, but her brain was sluggish from the run and panic that had crept in; she wasn't able to piece together the information quickly. She forced a smile realizing she was in danger and thought to use a different tactic, "I should get back; Detective Rizzoli is probably waiting for me at home by now."

"I have been waiting for you" he responded, pulling a pair of gloves out of his pocket, still smiling, "you took a different route then usual, threw me off for a bit there, didn't you?"

Maura swallowed hard, trying to contain the panic in her voice, "it's you; you're the one who's been sending me the roses."

"Bravo, Doctor" he snapped one glove on, never taking his eyes off her, "looks like you are still as brilliant as everyone says you are. How did you like my little gifts?"

"A little sloppy for my taste. You left a lot of evidence behind officer, seems you're a bit out of practice." Maura smiled trying to buy time; she needed to find a weapon fast.

He rubbed the back of his head seeming to get embarrassed suddenly, "I had to get your attention somehow Doctor. It seems that murder is the only thing that you enjoy. I thought the gifts would…help draw your attention."

Maura gasped as she put the rest of the story together, he wasn't the original murderer. "You…you copied him." She whispered, letting it all come together in her mind.

"It was easy, I had access to the files, I could copy the scene exactly" he smiled again, "It gave me access to you."

"No" Maura softly let out as she realized she had been wrong. She had known her assailant all along. She had met no one but officers since she had arrived. This wasn't a link from her past; this was a poorly strung connection to her present. "Jane…Jane will be here any moment, she will come looking for me!" Maura warned, hoping she wasn't just calling his bluff.

"I wouldn't worry about Rizzoli. I'm not so stupid as to leave something so obvious uncared for" He looked at his watch, and then started snapping the other glove on "I'm sure she's…tied up by now."

Maura's eyes became wide as real fear swept through her body, "don't you dare touch her!" she screamed out involuntarily.

JPOV

Jane's lungs burned as tears crept down her face. She was within a block of the vehicle now, and could clearly see Maura talking to an officer at the foot of a van. She knew she was on borrowed time, her body telling her it can't go on much further; she slowed her pace slightly while pulling out her service weapon. She watched Maura's face as she neared, seeing the panic and fear on it. Suddenly she watched as Maura's face dropped and she screamed.

On impulse alone she ran harder, faster; "MAURA!" She felt herself yell now knowing where the air was pulled from as her lungs ran dry.

"JANE!" Maura yelled back moving towards her, confusion and relief on her face. Minesota turned as well, clearly not understanding what was progressing in front of him, but with enough sense to grab at Maura's shoulders stopping her from running towards Jane and pushing her violently into the van.

NO!" she screamed; Jane watched helplessly as he retreated into the driver's side of the van, her eyes searching for a sign of movement from Maura. He jumped in the van and peeled away as Jane ran as fast as she could, trying to keep up with the speeding vehicle. Finally giving up the chase, she stopped and weakly yelled out Maura's name as the taillights receded.

She looked around feeling helpless, suddenly realizing that his squad car was still there and running. She ran to his vehicle smiling as she opened the door. He not only left the door unlocked, but had left the keys in the car as well. She quickly got in and put the car in drive as she picked up the radio and started radioing her location for backup. She knew she didn't have much time. He would panic now, and that put Maura's life in greater danger.

MPOV

Maura bounced around the inside of the van trying her best to keep her body from being effected by the momentum of the vehicle. She closed her eyes as she tried to process the events that had unfolded before her. Jane was safe, that was priority number one; but she was also concerned that Jane would follow the van putting her right back in direct line of fire. She saw nothing of use to defend herself, so her best bet was to wait until the vehicle stopped and she could try and make a run for it.

It seemed like an eternity of bouncing around before the vehicle came to a sudden and fast stop causing her to be thrown to the front of the vehicle slamming into the divider. Her head spun as she tried to regain her senses. She felt herself be pulled out by her leg and her hands wrenched behind her back as she was carried inside of a vacant house. She was plopped down unceremoniously onto the floor as she just barely regained her senses. She looked around the barely lit room as Minesota started to pace the room mumbling something about not having enough time.

"Why are you doing this?" she meekly asked, hoping to talk some sense into him.

He stopped his pacing and just stared at her for a moment as if he had never seen her before. "I had no intention of hurting those girls". His stare was cold and steely giving no indication of remorse. It was instead filled with a type of contempt that Maura couldn't quite place or understand.

"Why then?" Maura pressed, hoping to understand how she became involved in his haphazard scheme.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" he asked staring out the window at nothing in particular. Maura shook her head no, waiting for his response. "It was at the crime scene for that girl, at the motel." he smiled at the memory, giving Maura chills that something so gruesome could make him happy. "You showed up like lightning touching down from the sky. One minute there, one minute gone." he sighed looking down. "You smiled at me, just me; and for a moment that elusive lighting bolt struck. Do you know the odds of getting hit by lightning Dr Isles?" he asked turning his attention back to her.

Maura of course knew the answer 1 in 1,000,000; she flushed as she tried to keep her own mouth shut. "No, I don't suppose you would know that obscure fact" Maura felt blood as she bit her cheek forcing her mouth shut; she winced in pain but succeeded in not responding. "Anyway," he pressed on ignoring her, "I came down to see you, hoping to continue that connection. But you were so fucking busy!" he screamed the end while clenching his fists. Maura recoiled back, hoping to find a safe place to hide in the middle of the bare home. "To fucking interested on a dead body to notice me!" he wiped his face, once again drawing his attention outside.

"I'm sorry..." Maura tried to apologize meekly, but didn't press as she watched his fists clench again.

"So I thought to myself, what can I do to bring the attention of the great Maura Isles to me?" he giggled at his own private joke, then turned his gaze back to Maura, "I needed to create my own lightning rod".

Maura shuddered at his words, realizing that there was no escape from him. _There will be no talking your way out_ she thought to herself as she watched him return to his silent muttering.

She glanced around quickly, weighing her options, her hands and legs were unbound, she was in an unfamiliar area, and had very little time to prepare any kind of defensive. She watched as he stopped suddenly, appearing to come to a conclusion. He turned and faced Maura, his hand reaching slowly for his handgun. He pulled it out of its holster and started moving towards her, slowly and deliberately. She knew he had made up his mind, and she didn't have much time left.

He pulled her up by her arm, forcing her to her feet; growling as she struggled slightly against his hold. She didn't waste the chance to catch him off guard, his head suddenly popped back with such force that Maura could have sworn his neck must have snapped. He dropped his gun bringing his hands to his nose as she clapped her hands over his ears causing him to scream in agony and drop to the ground. She reared back, preparing to deliver one final blow.

JPOV

Jane didn't hesitate; instead running directly towards the now empty van hoping to catch another break. Finding it empty, she immediately pulled her gun and turned to run into the house slamming into a solid object instead. She immediately pulled the smaller form under her and threw her gun in their face.

"Jane! Its me!" Maura yelped, staring down the barrel of the gun before flashing her eyes at Jane who had affectedly pinned her down with her body. "What are you doing here!" she replied, staring at Jane confused and incredulously.

I…I came to save you." She softly replied blushing quickly as the words came out.

"As you can see Detective, I have it well under control" Maura replied briskly, watching Jane's reaction carefully. "And just what was your plan Jane? No backup, no partner. I bet no one even knows you're here." She added staring her down, a smile toying on her lips as she watched Jane's face try to understand what was happening.

"I would have called for back up…." Jane looked up and smiled, "eventually". Maura rolled her eyes as Jane indicated towards the long stretch of empty road; the flash of lights in the distance lighting up the sky. "Did he hurt you?" Jane didn't move as her eyes raked Maura's body, "Where is he Maura?" she asked, an edge to her husky voice. She felt the violent rage build up again as she thought about what he could have done to the only person she cared about.

"He's inside, knocked out." Maura offered smiling, not bothering to move from under Jane's grasp. Jane couldn't hide her surprise as Maura continued, "I broke his nose causing his eyes to water and pain to shoot out across his spatial nerves. I used that as a distraction before clapping out his eardrums. The sheer pain from that and the loss of equilibrium caused him to pass out momentarily from pain and fall over. He hit his head and passed out." Maura offered.

Jane sobered up watching Maura thinking of how different the outcome could have been. She felt the tears bite at her eyes again as she gently moved a strand of hair from Maura's face. "I'm so sorry Maur, its all my fault…" her voice faltered as she tried to get everything out but couldn't catch her breath enough to speak again.

Maura nodded, fighting emotion as well, smiling as tears glistened her eyes. "It's not your fault Jane, you didn't know", her hand gently caressing the tear from Jane's cheek.

"No, I…I'm sorry for causing this mess. For not letting you tell me what happened; for making such a fucking mess of things. Rebecca's a fucking psycho…"

"Language Jane" Maura replied automatically squirming slightly under Jane who didn't notice.

"I should have known Maura. I'm supposed to be this great detective and I couldn't even piece this together! I should have known that…" Jane didn't have a chance to finish as Maura's lips crashed into hers. She moaned at the softness that pressed against her, afraid to move for fear that it would stop and turn out to be another dream. The world stopped moving as Jane's urgency got the better of her and she pushed back against Maura; her tongue sliding into Maura's mouth crashing against her own as they moaned into each others bodies. Jane felt her body vibrate, hardly believing that Maura was safe and sound in her arms again.

MPOV

Maura was faintly aware of the sirens and lights arriving, footsteps as officers ran into the home behind them; voices as they filtered around them. But none of that mattered; Jane was on her, kissing her, her tongue inside her own mouth fighting for space. She never felt safer, never felt more loved; and she had never loved someone in return so fully as she did Jane right now.

"Um, ladies?" Frost asked hesitantly. Maura pulled gently away from Jane, not breaking eye contact but allowing just enough space for air to exist between them. "We…uh…got him…in case you're interested."

She watched as Jane sighed, looking up at Frost then pulling herself off of Maura and offered a hand to help her up off the ground as well. Suddenly Korsak was hugging her, tightly. "Can't breath" she puffed out as he squeezed tighter.

JPOV

Frost pulled Jane aside, lowering his voice as he chanced a glance over to Maura and Korsak, "What the hell were you doin man? I had to hear your call for help over the radio! Cavanaugh's fucking pissed!"

"I'm sorry, I just reacted. I had to do something Frost. I had to act." Jane's voice cracked again as she spoke, knowing she had broken more than a few rules. The thought of losing Maura washed over her again, causing a hollow pain to echo through her body as the familiar need to touch her and prove she was real returned. "Where is he?" Jane fidgeted as she looked around at the sudden activity that had sprung up around her.

"He was out cold, EMT's have him on the gurney" Frost pointed to the ambulance watching Jane's reaction carefully. "There was blood every where, what did you do to him?"

Jane heard the question in the distance, her focus solely on the gurney that was being wheeled to the van. She started trembling with rage as she saw the uniform stained with blood. "I didn't do it, Maura did." She responded softly as the gurney came closer.

Frost whistled his appreciation not noticing Jane's fist clench and unclench as violent thoughts filtered through her mind. She took a hesitant step forward, testing her own resolve. She knew her hand was reaching for her holster, she knew she was unclipping her gun, she knew the thoughts that were snaking through her mind as she slowly lowered the weapon out of the holster; her thumb fingering the safety.

Jane felt a soft hand snake its way into her other hand and grip firmly, she looked down to find Maura holding her hand and staring into her eyes, "Take me home Jane". She looked exhausted, and Jane fought the urge pull her in again, wanting to hold her until she could make all the bad things that had happened disappear. Maura didn't take her eyes off of Jane as she placed her other hand on Jane's gun, pushing it softly down. Jane fought her initial impulse and serviced her weapon, her body still trembling with furry as Maura repeated her request, "Take me home."


End file.
